
Book iQg 



Copyright N° 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 




^4/-~Gs^^<L4 &. £QA£^£, 



THE PLEA TO 
RESTORE THE 
APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



r 



By 

JAMES CCREEL 

MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL 



PLATTSBURG, MO. 



Copyright, 1902, by The Standard Publishing Company. 
1902 

THE STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY 

CINCINNATI, C\ 






IF UStfAtfY 
POfcSHESS, 

CLAR* CL^XXr No. 

co*»y b. 



r<9 ^zz 
/ip HJfea /# Iff est are the JjlpasMit ^bnrch, 

This little book is dedicated by 
> 
The Author. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 
Chapter I. 
The origin of the Plea 1 

Chapter II. 
What called forth the Plea IS 

Chapter III. 
What is the Apostolic Church? 21 

Chapter IV. 
What the Plea does not mean 33 

Chapter V. 
What the Plea does mean.— A restoration. — Restoration of 
the one divine creed and the one divine rule of faith 
and practice. — Restoration of the faith and practice of 
the inspired apostles of Christ 39 

Chapter VI. 
What the Plea does mean (continued).— Restoration of the 
original unity of the Apostolic Church , . 49 

Chapter VII. 
What the Plea does mean (continued).— Restoration of the 
apostolic evangelism 65 

Chapter VIII. 
What the Plea does mean (concluded).— Restoration of the 
New Testament names of the followers of the Christ. . . 79 

Chapter IX. 
The results to be accomplished by the Plea 93 

Chapter X. 
The practical application of the Plea 103 

Chapter XI. 
The dangers confronting the Plea 113 

Chapter XII. 

Objection to the teaching of those who make the Plea 

noticed 129 

v. 



PEEFACE. 

No apology is offered for this little book. No 
literary claims are made for it. No one is respon- 
sible for its teaching but its author. It is the pro- 
duction of an humble minister of the gospel of the 
Christ, who has sought, in plain and vigorous lan- 
guage, to instruct and edify rather than please the 
critic with beautiful diction of rhetorical finish. 

In preparing the program for "Forefathers' Day/' 
A. L. Oreutt, Indianapolis, Ind., requested the writer 
to prepare a brief address, which could be read or 
delivered in ten minutes, on "The Plea to Restore 
the Apostolic Church." A short time afterward, L. 
C. Wilson, Elwood, Ind., requested a more extended 
address on the same subject, to appear in his book, 
"Twentieth Century Sermons and Addresses." The 
present production is the expansion of the previous 
addresses. 

This little work claims to be a plain and forci- 
ble presentation of The Plea to Eestore the Apos- 
tolic Chlrch, in all its leading phases. It con- 
tains the close study and best thought of the author, 
on the subject considered, covering a period of thirty 
years of reading, writing and preaching. As to its 



viii Preface 

teaching, or doctrine, it claims to be in strict accord 
v/ith the plain teaching of the Word of God. In 
this respect, the author fears no just criticism or 
successful confutation. This work is also designed 
to be an introduction, or forerunner, of a larger work 
entitled "The Faith/.' which the author is now put- 
ting into manuscript, and hopes ere long to have it 
appear in book form. 

To all those who desire to know the full import 
of the Plea of "the fathers," which is The Plea to 
Eestore the Apostolic Church, which is now be- 
ing made by that people who claim to be, as indi- 
viduals, simply disciples of Christ, or Christians 
only; and who claim to be, in church relation, sim- 
ply churches of Christ only, this little book is most 
earnestly commended. To young preachers of the 
gospel and to the common people generally, this little 
text-book en "Our Plea" is especially addressed. To 
all who read it, may it indeed prove a blessing is the 
earnest prayer of the author. 

James C. Creel. 

Plattslurg, Mo., Aug. 20, 1902. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 

It occurs to the author that it might be well to 
have a brief biographical sketch of himself appear in 
this little book. T\e t following is written by the au- 
thor himself, though it appears in the third person as 
the better form : 

James Cowherd Creel was born Apr. 13, 1846, 
on a farm in Green Count}', Ky., of poor but respec- 
table parents, whose names were Henry Clay Creel 
and Elizabeth Creel. The mother's maiden name was 
Hatcher, a daughter of Jeremiah and Polly Hatcher. 
At the age of seven years his father died after a long 
illness with consumption, leaving a widow and four 
little children, of which James was the oldest. All 
the earthly possessions of the family at the death of 
the father consisted of a few household goods and 
five dollars in money. 

James' parents were pious and devoted Baptists, 
and hence at a very early age he was inclined to be 
religious. When he was eight years old he would go 
and kneel down by his father's grave, pray and try 
to "get religion." At times, for four or five years, 
he earnestly and prayerfully "sought religion" ac- 
cording to the old-fashioned Baptist way ; and at the 



rap] deal Sketch. 

age of thirteen he made "a profession of religion," 
was baptized, and joined the Baptist Church at old 
Mt. Gilead meeting-house, Green County, Ky., Sat- 
urday before the fourth Lord's Day in August, 1859. 
At the age of eighteen years, having learned the way 
of the Lord more accurately, he, with a great strug- 
gle and much mental agony, gave up all denomina- 
te onalism and became a Christian only, belonging to 
the church of Christ only. By this act he became 
identified with that religious body of people who, as 
individuals, are simply disciples of Christ, or Chris- 
tians, and, as congregations, are simply churches of 
Christ, no more nor less. In other words, James ceased 
to be a "Baptist Christian," and ceased to belong to 
the Baptist denomination, by becoming a Christian 
only and belonging to the church of Christ only. 

James' opportunities for an education were quite 
limited, as he had to support a widowed mother and 
help care for two younger brothers and a sister, 
which he did by daily labor as a hired farm hand, 
only attending the winter sessions of the common 
schools. When nineteen years old he attended a 
high school for one term, borrowing the money to 
pay board and tuition. After lie was married and 
bad two children ho wont to school two years; one 
year to a select school, and one year to Gilead Tnsti- 



Biographical Sketch. xi 

tute at Camner, Hart Co., Ky. These two years at 
school brought on an indebtedness which required 
ten years, while supporting a little family, to pay 
principal and interest. These ten years of poverty 
and struggle will never be forgotten. 

When James was born, his dear mother earnestly 
prayed that her firstborn might become a preacher of 
the gospel. God heard that mother's prayer, for 
when the sen preached in the presence of that mother 
for the first time, she arose in the audience, at the 
close of the sermon, and exclaimed, "Thanh God! 
The prayer that I have been praying for twenty -six 
years is answered to-day !" Though that precious 
mother has long since gone to her reward, these 
words are still ringing in the ears of her preacher 
son. The last words that fell from the lips of that 
sainted mother to her preacher son are these : 
"Grieve not for me. I have no desire to live here. 
I long to be at rest. Oh, my son, I know what your 
struggles have been. I have always prayed for you. 
Be true to the Word of God. Be faithful. Be faith- 
ful." Often have these precious words cheered the 
son's heart when it was heavy with pain and sorrow; 
and for more than a quarter of a century these words 
have been inscribed in every day-book and copy of 
the Bible used in private study. 



xii Biographical Sketch. 

On the 28th of October, 1868, the subject of this 
sketch was married, in his twenty-third year, to Miss 
Lucy Francis Gooch, near Monroe, Hart Co., Ky., 
who has been a faithful Christian wife for thirty- 
four year^; and much of that time she has been in 
ill health, but patiently and cheerfully she has borne 
her part of being a poor preacher's wife. To this 
marriage there have been born six children — two 
sons and four daughters — all of whom have been 
reared to be grown men and women, and, so far, with 
only one death, a son in his twenty-fourth year. 

On the first Lord's Day in October, 1871, at Gil- 
ead Church, Hart County, Ky., Bro. Creel preached 
his first sermon on the text, "Blessed are the pure 
in heart ; for they shall see God" ( Matt. 5:8). In 
a few months afterward he was ordained to the 
Christian ministry by fasting, prayer and laying on 
of hands; immediately after which he located at 
Litchfield, Ky., taught school, preached for the 
church, and a part of the time for two country 
churches. He next located in the village of White 
Mills, Hardin County, where he taught a select 
school for several terms, in the meantime preaching 
one Lord's Day in each month for the village church 
and three other contiguous churches. After this lie 
located at Sonora, serving the church here one-fourth 



Biographical Sketch. xiii 

time and devoting balance of time to three other 
churches. Here he gave up the schoolroom, devoting 
all his time to preaching to churches and holding pro- 
tracted meetings. After five years' residence at So- 
nora he located at Glasgow, Barren County, giving 
half time to the church there and one Lord's Day 
each to the churches at Horse Cave and Oakland Sta- 
tion, in the meantime holding many protracted 
meetings. After two years at Glasgow, he located at 
Henderson, spending three years here, two of which 
were given to the Henderson work ; he then devoted 
a whole year in holding protracted meetings in Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee, Illinois and Missouri. In Janu- 
ary, 1875, he came to Richmond, Mo., where he la- 
bored two years for the church, and then located at 
Plattsburg, his present home, where he has lived 
for the past sixteen years, three years of which he 
served the church as its minister. 

On Jan. 1, 1888, he began the publication of the 
Church Register, which religious journal he conduct- 
ed successfully for ten years and seven months, mak- 
ing money each year on the paper ; being overworked 
by preaching every Lord's Day, holding protracted 
meetings, oral debates, and conducting the paper, he 
was compelled to sell out the paper, because of ner- 
vous prostration. When he sold the paper, with 



xiv Biographical Sketch. 

what lie Lad saved of its earnings he made enough 
to buy a nice, comfortable home free from all debt, 
where he now lives, reads, writes, preaches for con- 
tiguous churches on Lord's Days and holds protract- 
ed meetings. He is the author of several tracts on 
the following subjects : "The New Birth" ; "Should 
the Sisters Pray and Speak in Public?"; "Can We 
know that Our Sins are Forgiven ?" ; "Heartfelt Re- 
ligion." All these tracts have had quite a sale, 
of which the last mentioned one has passed through 
more than five editions of one thousand copies each. 
He has held a number of oral debates in Kentucky, 
Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, with prominent Baptist 
and Methodist debaters; such men as G. B. Overton, 
J. D. Taylor, W. C. Taylor, J. H. Biggs, W. P. 
Throgmorton, Daniel B. Turney and Jacob Ditzler, 
meeting ths last-named gentleman four times. In 
the past few years he has not taken so much interest 
in religious debating, but is devoting his whole time 
to studying the Scriptures, writing, reading from 
a well-selected library, preaching to churches and 
holding pn-tracted meetings. 

Bro. Creel is now in his fifty-seventh year, weighs 
220 pounds, nearly six feet high, dark blue eyes, 
dark hair, slightly gray, and in the very prime of 
life. He is a man of strong convictions and always 



Biographical Sketch. xv 

ready to defend them, or give a reason for the hope 
that is in him. He loves the simple gospel of the 
Christ, and his highest ambition of life has been to 
be a true and successful preacher of the Old Jerusa- 
lem gospel as it is given in the New Testament, with- 
out any additions or subtractions. Because of his 
positive way of putting things, some have thought 
that he was narrow and somewhat contentious in his 
religious convictions; but those who know him best 
do not entertain these thoughts. 

The author of this little book is now rounding out 
a ministry in the gospel of thirty-one years, in which 
he has labored unceasingly without taking as much 
as one week's vacation in all the thirty-one years. In 
this ministry he has induced more than two thou- 
sand persons to obey the gospel, and thus become 
Christians. He hopes yet to spend many more years 
in faithfully proclaiming the gospel of the blessed 
Christ and in turning sinners to the Lord. He 
knows his own weaknesses and fully realizes that he 
has made many mistakes; but he has ever been con- 
scious of an intense desire to know the right and do 
the right at all times and under all circumstances. 
He has ever believed in standing up uncompromis- 
ingly for "the faith which was once for all delivered 
unto the saints," though the very heavens fall. What- 



xvi Biographical .Sketch. 

ever may have been his faults and mistakes, he has 
ever had a heart that loves the Lord and tries to 
serve him at all times, and to this merciful Lord and 
Master he is willing to commit it all. 



The Plea to Restore the 
Apostolic Church. 



CHAPTEE I. 

THE ORIGIN OF THE PLEA. 

Early in the nineteenth century Thomas Camp- 
bell, Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone, Walter 
Scott, and others, began the religions Restoration 
Movement, sometimes called the "Current Reforma- 
tion." In this Restoration Movement, which is pre- 
eminently a restoration- movement and not merely 
a reformation, it was earnestly sought to reproduce, 
in all things, especially wherein there had been 
departure, the faith and practice of the inspired apos- 
tles and teachers of Jesus Christ, as now revealed in 
the Xew Testament. In doing this, these mighty 
men of God, often referred to in loving remem- 
brance as "the fathers," made a grand plea, which 
is none other than The Plea to Restore the 
Apostolic Church. This same peerless Plea is made 
to-day by the children of the fathers who have 
grown to be a great people of more than one million 
in the United States alone. This people claim to be, 



2 The Plea to Restore 

as individual followers of the Christ, simply disciples 
of Christ, or Christians only; not the only Chris- 
tians, but Christians only; and as congregations, or 
churches, simply churches of Christ, no more nor 
less, just what the followers of the Christ were in 
the beginning before sectarian names and divisions 
came into existence. A brief history of the origin 
of this great Plea made by the fathers is of some 
importance, which now demands attention. 

Thomas Campbell, an educated and pious min- 
ister of the Presbyterian Church of the "Seceder 
branch," came from Ireland to Philadelphia in May, 
1807. On the presentation of his credentials he 
was received into the Presbyterian Synod, and at 
once was assigned by it to the Presbytery of Char- 
tiers in western Pennsylvania, where he began his 
ministerial work, locating at Washington, a small 
town of five hundred inhabitants. Mr. Campbell's 
sympathies were soon aroused by the destitute con- 
dition of some who belonged to other branches of the 
Presbyterian family, who had not for a long time 
had an opportunity of partaking of the Lord's Sup- 
per. In a sermon preparatory to partaking of the 
Lord's Supper, he felt it his duty to lament the 
existing divisions, and to suggest that all his pions 
hearers should, without respect to any sectarian 



the Apostolic Church. 3 

difference, enjoy the benefits of the communion 
service. As Mr. Campbell, in this, showed but little 
respect for the division walls which different parties 
had built up, he was censured and cited to the 
Presbytery for trial. The Presbytery found him 
deserving of censure for not adhering to the "Seces- 
sion Testimony." Mr. Campbell protested, and the 
matter was referred to the Synod, after which a 
committee decided that the charges "were sufficient 
grounds to infer censure/ 5 He submitted to the 
decision, handing in at the same time a declaration, 
"'that his submission should be understood to mean 
no more, on his part, than a deference to the judg- 
ment of the court, that, by so doing, he might not 
give offence to his brethren by manifesting a refrac- 
tory spirit." After this, he soon came to the conclu- 
sion to separate himself from all connection with a 
people who seemed utterly unwilling to tolerate any 
overture for healing the religious dissensions of the 
times. This separation occasioned no interruption 
cf his ministerial labors, in which he made the plea 
for Christian liberality and Christian union upon 
the basis of the Bible; large numbers continued to 
attend his ministrations wherever it was in his power 
to hold meetings; in private houses, groves, and 
other places, sympathetic audiences gathered to hear 



4 The Plea to Restore 

him. In these meetings the sufficiency of the Bible 
as the sole guide of faith and practice was urged 
upon the people, and many of them began to accept 
this preaching and put it into practice. (See "Me- 
moirs of Alexander Campbell/' Vol. I., pp. 122-132.) 
In a meeting of a very general assembling of those 
who were in sympathy with the work of Mr. Camp- 
bell, he dwelt upon the evils of divisions among 
professed Christians. He showed that the Word of 
God was an infallible standard which was all-suffi- 
cient and alone-sufficient, as a basis of Christian 
union and Christian co-operation. He insisted upon 
a return, in all things, to the simple teaching of 
the Scriptures, and the abandonment of everything 
in religion for which there could not be given a 
divine warrant. He then proclaimed, in reference 
to faith snd doctrine, this great rule or principle, 
namely: "Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; 
where the Scriptures are silent, ice are silent." At 
the close of this discourse Mr. Campbell called for 
an expression of views on the all-important rule 
enunciated. Many of his hearers accepted it at 
once as the rule of action in their efforts to bring 
about a religious reformation or restoration of the 
primitive order of things. It was then resolved by 
the meeting to hold another meeting Aug. 17, 1809, 



the Apostolic Church. 5 

and form it into an association called "The Chris- 
tian Association of Washington.' 7 In the meantime, 
Mr. -Campbell, in conference with several of those 
associated with him in the new movement, prepared 
the celebrated "Declaration and Address," which 
was designed to set forth to the public the nature 
and the object of the Association and embody the 
general truths and principles which were to direct 
and govern this new religions movement. 

The "Declaration and Address 7 ' set forth the 
nature and purpose of the Association in this resolu- 
tion: "That we form ourselves into a religious asso- 
ciation under the denomination of 'The Christian 
Association of Washington/ for the sole purpose of 
promoting simple evangelical Christianity, free 
from all mixture of human opinions and inventions 
of men." The nature of this Association is further 
declared in this resolution : "That this society [As- 
sociation] by no means considers itself a church, nor 
does, at all, assume to itself the power peculiar to 
such a society ; nor do the members, as such, consider 
themselves as standing connected in that relation; 
nor as at all associated for the peculiar purposes of 
church association, but merely as voluntary advo- 
cates for church reformation, and as possessing the 
powers common to all individuals who may please 



6 The Plea to Restore 

to associate, in a peaceful and orderly manner, for 
any lawful purpose; namely, the disposal of their 
time, counsel and property, as they may see cause." 

The "Declaration and Address" also contained 
this resolution: "That this society, formed for the 
sole purpose of promoting simple evangelical Chris- 
tianity, shall, to the uttermost of its power, coun- 
tenance and support such ministers, and such only, 
as exhibit a manifest conformity to the original 
standard, in conversation and doctrine, in zeal and 
diligence; only such as reduce to practice that sim- 
ple, original form of Christianity expressly exhibited 
upon the sacred page, without attempting to incul- 
cate anything of human authority, of private opin- 
ion, or inventions of men, as having any place in 
the constitution, faith or worship of the Christian 
Church, or anything as matter of Christian faith or 
duty, for which there can not be expressly produced 
a 'Thus saith the Lord/ either in express terms or 
by approved precedent." 

As embodying the general truths or principles 
which were to direct and govern this religious move- 
ment, the "Declaration and Address" set forth thir- 
teen distinct propositions prefaced with these re- 
markable statements: "Let none imagine that the 
subjoined propositions are at all intended as an over- 



the Apostolic Church. 7 

ture toward a new creed or standard for the church, 
or as anywise designed to be made a term of com- 
munion; nothing can be further from our intention. 
They are merely designed to open up the way, that 
we may come fairly and firmly to original ground 
upon clear and certain premises, and take up things 
just as the apostles left them, that thus, disentangled 
from accruing embarrassments of intervening ages, 
we may stand with evidence upon the same ground 
on which the church stood at the beginning." — 
Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, Vol. I., pp. 2J:3, 
256-262. 

The thirteen "subjoined propositions" contained 
all the grand principles which guided and directed 
this new religious movement in its efforts to return 
to the "original ground," in all things, occupied by 
the inspired apostles of the Christ. In other words, 
these propositions are the embodiment of the funda- 
mental principles which guided the fathers in mak- 
ing The Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church. The 
first three propositions are here transcribed: 

"1. That the Church of Christ upon earth is es- 
sentially, intentionally and constitutionally one; 
consisting of all those in every place that profess 
their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all 
things according to the Scriptures, and that mani- 



8 The Plea to Restore 

fest the same by their tempers and conduct; and 
none else, as none else can he truly and properly 
called Christians. 

"2. That, although the Church of Christ upon 
earth must necessarily exist in particular and dis- 
tinct societies, locally separate one from another, 
yet there ought to be no schism, no uncharitable 
divisions among them. They ought to receive each 
other, as Christ Jesus hath also received them, to 
the glory of God. And, for this purpose, they ought 
all to walk by the same rule; to mind and speak the 
same things, and be perfectly joined together in the 
same mind and in the same judgment. 

"3. That, in order to do this, nothing ought to be 
inculcated upon Christians as articles of faith, nor 
required of them as terms of communion, but what 
is expressly taught and enjoined upon them in the 
Word of God. Nor ought anything to be admitted 
as of divine obligation in their church constitution 
and managements, but what is expressly enjoined by 
the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and his apos- 
tles upon the New Testament church, either in ex- 
press terms or by approved precedent." 

This remarkable "Declaration and Address." in 
all its matter, made up fifty-four closely printed 
pages, and will ever merit particular attention, as 



the Apostolic Church. 9 

it laid the very foundation of the great Eestoration 
Movement of the nineteenth century. While the 
proof-sheets of this remarkable document were being 
read, Alexander Campbell, a young man, the son of 
Thomas . Campbell, arrived in October, 1809, from 
the University of Glasgow, Scotland. He carefully 
read what his father had written, and at once 
assented to it, becoming a zealous advocate and 
preacher of the faith. Alexander soon saw that the 
great principles of the "Declaration and Address" 
would compel him to give up many of his previous 
religious notions and convictions. With great dili- 
gence he began to restudy the Scriptures; and in a 
short time he was immersed on the simple confes- 
sion of his faith in the Christ, by Elder Mathias 
Luce, a Baptist minister, on Wednesday, June 12, 
1812, in Buff aloe Creek, near his residence. In 
this step his father, mother, eldest sister, his wife 
and three others followed him. In this step it may 
be truly said that Alexander Campbell, the son, 
became the recognized leader in the Restoration 
Movement. (See Millennial Harbinger for 1818, p. 
283.) 

In a short time the local congregation meeting 
at Brush Bun meeting-house, where the Campbells 
held their membership, became immersionists, con- 



10 The Plea to Restore 

stituting a local church of baptized believers. In 
1813 this local church of baptized believers united 
with the Eedstone Association of Baptists. In this 
act the Campbells and their colaborers became iden- 
tified with the Baptists upon the express stipulation 
that they were to be guided, in all things, solely by 
the Word of God. (See Millennial Harbinger for 
1848; p. 346.) In 1823, the congregation of which 
Alexander Campbell was a member, joined the Ma- 
honing Association of Baptists, who were far more 
liberal toward those who were seeking to return in 
all things to original Christianity. At this time 
such evangelists and preachers as Walter Scott and 
others were preaching the primitive gospel and 
appealing to all Christians to return in faith and 
practice to the apostles. The people by the hun- 
dreds responded to the proclamation of the ancient 
gospel. 

As The Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church 
began to grow and take a vital hold on the people 
throughout the Mahoning Association of Baptists, 
the Association mutually dissolved in 1830 as a Bap- 
tist organization, and entered, as local churches, into 
the reformatory or Restorative Movement. In dis- 
banding as a Baptist ecclesiastical organization, they 
ceased to be Baptists or Baptist churches by becom- 



the Apostolic Church. 11 

ing simply disciples of Christ or Christians only, 
and churches of Christ only. 

In 1801, a great religions revival began at Cane 
Kidge meeting-house, near Paris, Ky., which swept 
over a large portion of the State. Ont of this great 
revival, there grew np in Kentucky a similar relig- 
ions movement, led by Barton W. Stone and others, 
to that inaugurated by the Campbells in western 
Pennsylvania and western Virginia in 1809. The 
movement of Stone and others coalesced with the 
movement of the Campbells in 1831 and 1832. How- 
ever, all those who were first associated with Stone 
did not go into the Eest oration Movement of the 
Campbells. They appeared to still cling to some of 
their early religious errors, and by the way of dis- 
tinction they were spoken of as the "Old Christian 
Order," or "Christian Connection," and in derision 
they were called "Newlights," or "Stoneites." They 
are, to-day, a small people in number, and are still 
in bondage to denominationalism. In the East, and 
in some other localities, they claim to be "the Chris- 
tian Church," and as individuals wear the name 
"Christians." They are, sometimes, in religious sta- 
tistics, confounded with those who have given up 
all denominationalism, and who make The Plea to 



12 The Plea to Restore 

Eestore the Apostolic Church, as first inaugurated 
by the Campbells and their associates. . 

The preceding is a brief and somewhat imperfect 
history of the origin of The Plea to Eestore the 
Apostolic Church. Its facts and statements are cer- 
tainly according to recognized history. A close 
study of the origin of the Plea made by the fathers 
of the Eestoration Movement of the nineteenth cen- 
tury will greatly increase the appreciation of that 
Plea. In its very origin much is to be learned con- 
cerning the Plea that can not be learned elsewhere. 



CHAPTER II. 

WHAT CALLED FORTH THE PLEA. 

Often a work, or some plea made, is more fully 
appreciated when it is learned what called forth 
that work or plea. The Plea to Restore the Apos- 
tolic Church was called forth because of grave de- 
parture or falling away from "the faith which was 
once for all delivered unto the saints." Modern 
denominationalisrn, with its warring sects and con- 
flicting creeds, is unquestionable proof that there 
have been serious departures from pure New Testa- 
ment Christianity. Furthermore, the apostle Paul 
foretells of a coming departure, or "falling away 
from the faith," in these words: "But the Spirit 
saith expressly, that in later times some shall fal 1 
away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits 
and doctrines of demons, through the hypocrisy of 
men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience 
as with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and com- 
manding to abstain from meats, which Cod created 
to be received with thanksgiving by them that be- 
lieve and know the truth" (1 Tim. 4:1-4). 

Again the same apostle says : "Now we beseech 
you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord 



14 TIm Plea to Restore 

Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; 
to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your 
mind, nor yet be troubled either by spirit, or by 
word, or by epistle from us, as that the day of the 
Lord is just at hand ; let no man beguile you in any 
wise : for it will not be, except the falling away come 
first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of per- 
dition, he that opposeth and exalteth himself against 
all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that 
he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth 
as God" (2 Thess. 2:1-4). 

It appears that this falling away from the faith, 
as foretold by the apostle, was to begin among the 
elders and teachers of the church, as indicated in 
these words of Paul to the elders or bishops at 
Ephesus: "Take heed unto yourselves, and to all 
the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you 
bishops, to feed the church of the Lord that he pur- 
chased with his own blood. I know that after my 
departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, 
not sparing the flock; and from among your own 
selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to 
draw away the disciples after them" (Acts 20:17, 
28-30). 

To Timothy, Paul gives this solemn charge: "I 
charge thee in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus 



the Apostolic Church. 15 

who shall judge the quick and dead, and by his 
appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be 
instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, ex- 
hort, with all long-suffering and teaching. For the 
time will come when they will not endure sound 
doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to 
themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will 
turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside 
unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:1-4). 

In the primitive churches of Christ there was a 
plurality of elders or bishops or pastors in each local 
congregation, as is to be learned from these words: 
''And when they [Paul and Barnabas] had appoint- 
ed for them elders in every church, and had prayed 
with fasting, they commended them to the Lord on 
whom they believed" (Acts 14:23). These persons 
"appointed elders" were so called because they were 
elder men, or men of age and experience, and they 
were called "bishops" because they took the over- 
sight of the local church, and they were called "pas- 
tors" because they ruled and fed the local flock. The 
terms "elders," "bishops," "pastors," in the Xew 
Testament, designate the one and same class of per- 
sons in the local church of God, indicating the dif- 
ferent phases of the work of the eldership. After 
a time, some one elder or bishop or pastor became, 



16 The Plea to Restore 

from some cause or other, more prominent in the 
church than other fellow elders, pastors or bishops, 
and he was soon styled the elder, the pastor or the 
bishop of the church. In this idea and departure 
came the notion of "the bishop/' the metropolitan 
bishop, the diocesan bishop, finally culminating into 
the first full-grown pope, who claimed to be the 
Pastor of the whole church of God! Thus, step by 
step, modern ecclesiasticism and apostacy were born 
among the elders and teachers of the primitive 
churches. In proof of this gradual growth of de- 
parture and change from the simplicity of the origi- 
nal order of things, some quotations from church 
historians are here given. 

Coleman's "Ancient Christianity Exemplified/' 
page 97, says, in reference as to how these changes 
were made, or brought about, these words: "1. In 
the distinction between bishops and presbyters [el- 
ders]. In the college of equal and co-ordinate pres- 
byters, some one would naturally act as moderator 
or presiding officer; age, talent, influence or ordi- 
nation by the apostles might give one an accidental 
superiority over his fellows, and appropriate to him 
the standing office of president of the presbyter}'. 
To this office the title of bishop was assigned ; and 
with the office and the title began to be associated 



the Apostolic Church. 17 

the authority also of a distinct order. Jerome al- 
leges that the standing office and authority of a 
bishop were a necessary expedient to still the crav- 
ings and strife for preferment which, by instiga- 
tion of Satan, arose in process of time among pres- 
byters. Whatever may have been the cause, a dis- 
tinction began to be made, in the course of the sec- 
ond century, between bishops and presbyters 
[elders], which finally resulted, in the century fol- 
lowing, in the establishment of the episcopal preroga- 
tives." 

Xeander, in his "Church History," page 119, 
says in reference to "the changes in the discipline 
of the Christian Church after the apostolic age," 
these words: "The change which had the most ex- 
tensive influence on the form of the Christian 
Church, in this period, related particularly to three 
points: (a) The separation between bishops and 
presbyters, and the development of the monarchico- 
episcopal government, (b) The separation between 
spiritual persons and the laity, and the formatiou 
of the caste of priests in contradiction to the evan- 
gelic notion of the Christian priesthood. And (c) 
the multiplication of church officers." 

Mosheim, in his "Church History." page 38, in 
speaking of the ministers of the church and its form 



18 The Plea to Restore 

of government, says : "The rulers of the church 
were called either presbyters [elders] or bishops — 
titles which, in the New Testament, are undoubt- 
edly applied to the same order of men. These were 
persons of eminent gravit} r , and such as had dis- 
tinguished themselves by their sanctity and merit. 
Their particular functions were not always the same ; 
for while some of them confined their labors to the 
instruction of the people, others contributed in dif- 
ferent ways to the edification of the church. Hence, 
the distinction between teaching and ruling pres- 
byters has been adopted by certain learned men. 
But if ever this distinction existed, which I neither 
affirm nor deny, it certainly did not continue long, 
since it is manifest that St. Paul requires that all 
bishcps or presb}^ters be qualified, and. ready to teach 
and instruct." On page 39, he says : "Let none, 
however, confound the bishops of this primitive and 
golden period of the church with those of whom we 
read in the following ages'; for though they were 
both distinguished by the same name, yet they dif- 
fered in many respects. A bishop, during the first 
and second century, was a person who had the care 
of one Christian assembly, which, at that time, was, 
generally speaking, small enough to be contained 
in a private house. In this assembly he acted, not 



the Apostolic Church. 19 

so much with the authority of a master, as with the 
zeal and diligence of a faithful servant." 

This work of apostacy or departure from the 
primitive faith and practice began even in the days 
of Paul, in some form. Paul says, in reference to the 
"falling away" and the "man of sin," these words: 
"For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work; 
only there is one that restraineth now, until he be 
taken out of the way" (2 Thess. 2:7). Thus it is 
seen from Scripture and church history that there 
has been departure or "falling away from the faith ;" 
and this has called forth The Plea to Eestore the 
Apostolic Church. This departure, culminating in 
modern denominationalism, with all its party strife 
and divisions among the professed followers of the 
Christ, moved Thomas Campbell and his associates 
to earnestly plead for a complete return to original 
ground where primitive Christian union could be 
found and enjoyed. The Plea of the fathers was 
largely born in the idea of Christian liberty and 
Christian union and Christian co-operation, which 
had been destroyed, in a great measure, by sectarian 
divisions growing out of departures from the apos- 
tolic faith and practice. 



CHAPTER III. 

WHAT IS THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH? 

To thoroughly understand and appreciate The 
Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church, the question, 
What is the Apostolic Church? needs to be fully 
answered and explained. The importance of this is 
seen at once in the fact that the Eestoration Move- 
ment of the nineteenth century had sole reference to 
the reproducing or restoring the Apostolic Church. 
Hence full explanation and careful definition of 
terms are needed just here. 

The word "church/' in its New Testament use, 
means, first, in its limited sense, a local congrega- 
tion, or assembly, of persons called out of any kind. 
The word (ekklesia) translated "assembly" in Acts 
19 :41, designating the "assembly" or mob assembled 
at the instigation of Demetrius, is the very same 
word, in the New Testament, translated "church" 
more than one hundred times. The word so trans- 
lated does not of itself indicate the exact nature of 
the assembly called out; this must be learned from 
the circumstances or connections of the word. In 
Acts 19 :39 the word translated "assembly," in this 

particular verse, means a "lawful assembly;" this is 

21 



22 The Plea to Restore 

not indicated by the word translated "assembly," 
but by the modifying term "lawful." In Acts 19 :41 
the very same word is again translated "assembly/' 
and here the circumstances show that the word, in 
this particular verse, means an unlawful mob called 
out by the infuriated Demetrius. Thus the word 
"church," or the word translated "church," means 
literally an assembly, or congregation, of any kind 
called out by, or from, any source. In its particu- 
lar New Testament or religious sense, the word 
"church" means an assembly of baptized believers 
called out; called of God by Christ through the gos- 
pel into the fellowship, worship and service of God. 
Paul says: "But we are bound to give thanks to 
God olway for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, 
for God chose you from the beginning unto salva- 
tion in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the 
truth, whereunto he called you through our gospel, ' 
to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus 
Christ" (2 These. 2:13, 14). Peter says: "And 
the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal 
glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little 
while, shall himself perfect, stablish, strengthen 
you" (1 Pet. 5:10). To be called "unto his eternal 
glory in Christ/' means called "unto his eternal 
glory" by Christ; so it reads in the common or old 



the Apostolic Church. 23 

version. Jesus himself says: "For I came not to 
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matt. 
9:13). Jesus calls sinners to repentance through 
the gospel; through all the motives and invitations 
of the gospel, the Christ calls sinners to repentance, 
and thus calls them out, out of the world into the fel- 
lowship, worship and service of the Father. This call 
being a moral call addressed only to sinners, it neces- 
sarily follows that the church is composed only of 
those who are capable of hearing the call, believing 
and obeying it. Again, Jesus says: "He that be- 
lieveth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16 :16), 
which means the same thing as to say: "He that 
beiieveth and is baptized shall enter into the church." 
This he clearly teaches in saying to Mcodemus: 
"Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he 
cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3 :5). 
Therefore, the church means an assembly, or congre- 
gation, of baptized believers called out, called of 
God by Christ through the gospel into the fellow- 
ship, worship and service of God. 

In its extended sense, not in its local sense, the 
church means all the true followers of the Christ, all 
Christians in the aggregate, meaning the whole body 
of Christ, "the kingdom of heaven," or "the king- 
dom of God" on earth. The church in its extended 



24 The Plea to Restore 

or broad sense is used interchangeably with the ex- 
pression "the kingdom of heaven" or "the kingdom 
of God/' as is seen in these words : "And I also say 
unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I 
will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall 
not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys 
of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 16:18, 19). The 
only distinction, perhaps, between "the church" in 
its broad sense, and "the kingdom of heaven," or 
"the kingdom of God," is, that "the church" is com- 
posed of all the children of God on the earth, while 
"the kingdom of heaven" is composed of all the 
family of God on earth and in heaven. 

The Christ said to Simon Peter: "Upon this 
rock I will build my church" (Matt. 16:18). It is 
then Christ's church, or the church of Christ, for 
he builded it. But Christ builded the church 
through the ministry of his inspired apostles. He 
gave them this world-wide commission: "Go ye 
therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, bap- 
tizing them into the name of the Father and of the 
Son and of the Holy Spirit ; teaching them to ob- 
serve all things whatsoever I commanded you; and 
lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the 
world" (Matt. 28:19, 20). Paul speaks of himself 
"as a wise master builder" in laving the foundation 



the Apostolic Church. 25 

of "the church of God that is at Corinth" (1 Cor. 
3:10). What is here true of Paul is evidently true 
of all the apostles, in that they were also wise mas- 
ter builders of the church of Christ. Therefore, 
Christ through the ministry of his divinely inspired 
and commissioned apostles builded the church, which 
is the one Apostolic Church, a divine institution, 
builded by the divine Lord and Master through the 
preaching of inspired men. 

In the beginning the Apostolic Church, as found- 
ed by Christ through his apostles, was just what he 
would have it be in these particulars: its faith, its 
doctrine, its organization, its government, Us unity, 
its terms of fellowship, its terms of admission, its 
worship. Since Christ is the sole head of the 
church and its supreme lawgiver, there can be no ad- 
ditions to these things nor subtractions therefrom. 
What the Christ has done, and what he has done 
through his inspired apostles, needs no improvement 
and can not be improved upon. The Apostolic 
Church, in the daily life and practices of its mem- 
bers, may have been quite imperfect, and doubtless 
was, but in the eight foregoing particulars it was 
just what its divine founder would have it be. Some 
attention will now be given to these essential par- 
ticulars. 



26 The Plea to Restore 

1. Its Faith. — The faith of the Apostolic 
Church was faith in the Christ, its divine founder. 
Everything centered in the Christ with the apostles. 
The Christ, with them, was the beginning and the 
end of all things. He was "head over all things 
to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him 
that nlleth all in air (Eph. 1:23). 

2. Its Doctrine. — The doctrine of the Apos- 
tolic Church was the doctrine of the Christ, which 
was preached and taught by the inspired apostles and 
inspired teachers, who preached and taught all 
things whatsoever commanded by the Christ. Jesus 
said this of his doctrine : "My teaching is not mine, 
but his that sent me" (John 7:16). Hence, the 
teaching, or doctrine, of Christ is the doctrine of 
God. John says : "Whosoever goeth onward and 
abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God : 
he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both 
the Father and the Son" (2 John 9). 

3. Its Organization. — The organization of the 
Apostolic Church consisted solely in the organization 
of the local congregation or local church; and these 
local churches were called "the churches of Christ" 
(Rom. 16:16). There was no aggregating of any 
number of local churches of Christ into some eccle- 
siastical organization in the days of the apostles. 



the Apostolic Church. 27 

The craze of organization had not as yet reached the 
primitive churches. These local churches volunta- 
rily co-operated, as independent churches of Christ, 
in spreading abroad the gospel and in every good 
word and work, while all "ecclesiastical" organiza- 
tion was exhausted in the local church. 

4. Its Government. — The government of the 
Apostolic Church was wholly congregational, in 
which the law of Christ was supreme in all things. 
Each local congregation, or local church, was com- 
posed of "saints," "bishops" or "elders" or "pastors" 
and "deacons" (Phil. 1:1), in which the bishops or 
elders or pastors took the oversight, taught and 
ruled the local church, while the deacons were the 
servants thereof. The idea of grouping the local 
churches of Christ in a given community or dis- 
trict of country into one organized government, to 
be presided over and ruled, by one man called a 
"priest" or "bishop," is born of the apostacy from 
the faith. 

5. Its Unity. — The unity of the Apostolic 
Church consisted in the spiritual oneness of all those 
in Christ, where there can be neither Jew nor 
Greek, neither bond nor free, neither male nor fe- 
male; for "all are one man in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 
3:28). This unity was also a oneness, or unity, in 



28 The Plea to Restore 

the faith in the Christ and in the doctrine taught 
by the Christ through the inspired apostles. All 
those of this spiritual oneness in Christ and the one- 
ness in the faith in the Christ and in the doctrine of 
Christ, made up the one primitive church of Christ, 
the one Apostolic Church. 

6. Its Terms of Fellowship. — The terms of 
fellowship of the Apostolic Church were these: (1) 
Faith in the Christ; (2) obedience to him in all 
things. Opinions and theories of men were never 
made tests of Christian fellowship in the Apostolic 
Church. Whatever is a gospel condition of salvation, 
or entrance into the one body of Christ, the Apostolic 
Church, that, and that only, should be made a test of 
Christian fellowship. This is true from the fact 
that whatever is necessary to salvation, or necessary 
to put one into Christ, puts that one into fellowship 
with Christ and with all those who are in Christ. 
Faith in the Christ and obedience to him are the 
gospel conditions of salvation, the conditions by 
which a person enters into Christ and into the Apos- 
tolic Church; and this faith and obedience, per- 
sisted in, keep that person in Christ and in his fel- 
lowship. Therefore, faith in the Christ and obedi- 
ence to him are the only and sole tests of fellow- 
ship in the Apostolic Church. 



the Apostolic Church. 29 

7. Its Terms of Admission. — The terms of 
admission into the Apostolic Church 'are simple and 
plain. They are these : Faith in the Christ, repent- 
ance, confession of the Christ, baptism. These may 
be summed up in these words: Faith in the Christ 
and obedience to him, or being "born again/' To 
be "born again" is to "be born of water and the 
Spirit." The Christ gives the terms of admission 
into the kingdom of God, the Apostolic Church, in 
these words : "Except a man be born of water and 
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of 
God" (John 3:5). To "be born of water and the 
Spirit" means to be begotten by the Spirit in being 
made a penitent believer in Christ by the Spirit 
through the Word of God, and then being baptized. 
In other words, a person is "born of the Spirit," or 
"begotten of the Spirit," when he believes in Christ 
and repents; and he is "born of water" when he is 
baptized. These are the terms of admission into 
"the kingdom of God," the Apostolic Church. 

8. Its Worship. — The worship of the Apostolic 
Church is the simple worship of the Father in spirit 
and in truth, through the Christ, the one mediator 
between God and man. Jesus says, of the true wor- 
ship of God, these words: "But the hour cometh, 
and now is, when the true worshippers shall wor- 



30 The Plea to Restore 

ship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth 
the Father seek to be his worshippers. God is a 
Spirit; and they that worship him must worship in 
spirit and truth" (John 4:23, 24). It is said of 
the three thousand converted on the day of Pente- 
cost : "And they continued stedf astly in the apos- 
tles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of 
bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42). The primitive 
disciples of Christ met upon the first day of the 
week for worship in prayer, praise, reading the 
Scriptures, exhortation, teaching, fellowship and the 
partaking of the Lord's Supper. It appears that 
the primitive disciples, or churches, met upon the 
first day of every week; and the prime object of the 
meeting was "to break bread," or partake of the 
"memorial supper," while often what is called 
"preaching" was only incidental. This passage is 
to the point here : "And upon the first day of the 
week, when we were gathered together to break 
bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to de- 
part on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until 
midnight" (Acts 20:7). 

The worship of the Apostolic Church was plain 
and simple, without any show or display whatever. 
Every one as a Christian priest offered praise and 
spiritual incense directly to the Father through 



the Apostolic Church. 31 

Christ, the great High Priest. The spectacular of 
much of the modern worship had not as yet corrupt- 
ed the simple worship of the primitive churches of 
Christ. 



CHAPTER IV. 

WHAT THE PLEA DOES NOT MEAN. 

To get before the mind clearly and fully just 
what The Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church does 
mean, it will be well, in the first place, to learn what 
the Plea does not mean; and then it can be more 
clearly seen what the Plea does mean. In looking 
at all sides of any question, the negative side must 
also have proper attention. In doing this, a full 
presentation of the whole question, or subject, can 
be made. With these explanatory words, special at- 
tention is invited to the following negative propo- 
sitions : 

1st. The Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church 
does not mean simply a reformation of some church, 
or "the church." 

The original church of Christ, the Apostolic 
Church, in its faith, doctrine, organization, govern- 
ment, unity, terms of fellowship, terms of admission 
and worship, needs no reformation. The Apostolic 
Church, in these particulars, is just what its divine 
founder wants, or would have it be. Then it needs 
no reformation and can not- be reformed. It is true 
some of the fathers spoke of The Plea to Restore the 



34 The Plea to Restore 

Apostolic Church as "the reformation of the church," 
or "the Current Reformation;" but a close study of 
the writings and preaching of the fathers will show 
that they spoke of "the reformation of the church'' 
in the sense of the original church of Christ being 
restored in all things wherein there had been depart- 
ure. The reformation of some church, or even "the 
church," is not what the fathers sought when they 
began their work early in the nineteenth century. 
There have been many reformations of some church 
or "the church," and the result has uniformly been 
the increase of denominational or sectarian churches. 
John Wesley sought to reform the Church of Eng- 
land, and he did good in a certain direction; but 
at the same time his reformation has produced some 
seventeen Methodist parties, or denominational 
churches! Something more than a mere reforma- 
tion of any church is demanded because of "the fall- 
ing away from the faith." Therefore, The Plea to 
Restore the Apostolic Church does not mean simply 
a reformation of some church, or even "the church." 

2d. The Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church 
does not mean another church, or some new church. 

There are, already, too many churches, of the 
kind, in the world to-day, and new churches at that. 
The religious world, of -the present age, is already 



the Apostolic Church. 35 

burdened with the multiplied sectarian or denomi- 
national churches. These sectarian churches in their 
divisions and unholy strife are condemned by the 
teaching of the Word of God. What the world 
needs, and will always need as long as sin is in it, is 
the one old church, -the original church of Christ, the 
one original Apostolic Church, in its primitive faith, 
doctrine and simplicity. The fathers never thought 
for one moment of starting another church, or some 
new church, in the Restoration Movement. Xeither 
did they claim to be a church nor even the church. 
It is true that some few of their children, who have 
very narrow conceptions of the church of Christ, 
may make the absurd claim of being "the church of 
Christ/'' The fathers and all their informed asso- 
ciates claimed to be, as individual followers of the 
Christ, simply disciples of Christ, or Christians only, 
and as congregations of baptized believers, simply 
"churches of Christ," no more nor less. Therefore, 
The Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church does not 
mean another church, or some new church. 

3d. The Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church 
does not mean another denomination or sect. 

All denominationalism or sectarianism among 
professed Christians is exceedingly sinful in the sight 
of the dear Lord, and positively forbidden by his holy 



36 The Plea to Restore 

Word. Like all other sins, denominationalism must 
be repented of and forever abandoned in order to 
meet the full approval of the great Head of the 
church. Paul expressly says: "That there should 
be no schism [sects or divisions] in the body [the 
body of Christ, the church] ; but that the members 
should have the same care one for another" (1 Cor. 
32:25). All denominationalism, or sectarianism, is 
wholly subversive of the unity of the one body of 
Christ, the one Apostolic Church. The original 
church of Christ was not a denomination or a sect, 
except when it was characterized in derision as such 
by some of its ancient opposers. The bigoted Jews 
called the early Christians a "sect" (Acts 28:22). 
But no apostle ever accepted the idea that the fol- 
lowers of Christ were a sect or a denomination. In 
the very nature of things, those who made the Plea 
to return to apostolic Christianity, cannot be a de- 
nomination or a sect. Therefore, The Plea to Re- 
store the Apostolic Church does not mean another 
denomination or sect. 

4th. The Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church 
does not mean another human creed, human confes- 
sion of faith, or human rule of faith and practice. 

All human creeds, human confessions of faith 
and human rules of faith and practice have pro- 



the Apostolic Church. 37 

duced all the denominations and sects that have 
rent the church of God on the earth. For instance, 
take up any one of the creeds or confessions of faith, 
or rules of faith and practice, of any one of the lead- 
ing modern denominations, and count the different 
parties or sects produced by them. These sects or 
parties in religion can be counted by the scores; 
yes, even by the hundreds, where these human creeds, 
confessions of faith and rules of faith and practice 
are claimed as bonds of reunion and communion 
among professed Christians. Look out on the re- 
ligious world to-day, and behold the number of sects 
and parties that are marshaled under the banner 
of conflicting human creeds ! All these human 
creeds, human confessions of faith and human rules 
of faith and practice, as bonds of union and fellow- 
ship among professed Christians, are a subversion 
of the law of Christ and a reflection upon the wisdom 
and goodness of God. These human creeds and hu- 
man rules of faith and practice, as bonds of union 
and fellowship among Christians, virtually say that 
God, in his infinite wisdom, has wholly failed to 
make all the necessary provisions for the guidance 
of his people in all faith, practice and fellowship. 

It was the division and party strife caused by 
human creeds, human confessions of faith and hu- 



38 The- Plea to Restore 

man rules of faith and practice, which excited the 
righteous indignation of the sainted Thomas Camp- 
bell, and moved him to plead for Christian liberty 
and Christian union by returning to apostolic Chris- 
tianity. These grand men who first sought the res- 
toration of the Apostolic Church had felt and fully 
realized the galling bondage of human, creeds and 
human rules of faith and practice., Hence, they 
made, an unceasing war upon all these humanisms 
as bonds :of union and communion among God's peo- 
ple. Nothing could have been more objectionable or 
obnoxious to them than the idea of another human 
creed, or human confession of faith, ox human rule 
o| faith and practice, in their efforts^ to return to 
original apostolic Christianity. Therefore, The Plea 
to Restore the Apostolic Church does not mean an- 
other human creed, or human confession of faith, 
or human rule of faith and practice.,. 

Having now cleared some rubbish out of the way, 
and removed some mistaken ideas and notions in 
reference to the Plea, the way is now clearly opened 
up for learning just what this matchless Plea does 
mean. Succeeding chapters will give full and com- 
plete explanation, or tell just what the Plea is. To 
these succeeding chapters special attention is invited 
in order to get a comprehensive view of the Plea. 



CHAPTER V. 

WHAT THE PLEA DOES MEAN". 

The work now to be done is that of affirmation. 
This will be done by first presenting affirmative 
piopositions, followed by necessary and somewhat 
exhaustive argument. To these propositions, and 
the argument, careful attention is invited. 

1st. The Plea to Restore the Apostolic 
Church means a restoration. 

By restoration is meant a complete return "to 
original ground and take up things just as the apos- 
tles left them," and thus reproduce or restore New 
Testament Christianity in all things. 1 1* means the 
going back beyond all denominations, all human 
creeds, all decrees of Popes, Councils, Synods, Assem- 
blies and Associations, to the Christ and the inspired 
apostles, and restore all things wherein there has 
been departure or apostacy. The Plea means the 
rejection of all human innovations and the restora- 
tion of the divine model in all things "that pertain 
to life and godliness// 

The advocates of The Plea to Restore the Apos- 
tolic Church, those who claim to be simply disciples 
of Christ or Christians only, and belong to the 



40 The Plea to Restore 

church of Christ only, occupy a unique position. 
The early reformers, such men as Luther, Calvin, 
Knox, Wesley and others, sought mightily to acconu 
plish a reformation of the then existing corrupt 
church or churches. They did a great and lasting 
work in their way ; but none of them appears to have 
sought the restoration of the original primitive 
church of Christ. The attempted work of all these 
early reformers was only a reformation, while the 
great work of the advocates of The Plea to Eestore 
the Apostolic Church is a restoration. 

2d. The Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church 
means the restoration of the one divine creed and 
the one divine rule of faith and practice. 

The word "creed," from credo, I believe, means, 
strictly speaking, a summary of what one believes. 
There is this distinction between a creed and a rule 
of faith and practice, namely: a creed is a summary 
of what is believed, a summary of "the faith," while 
a rule of faith and practice is "the faith" itself. In 
other words, the true creed is the summary of the 
New Testament, while the true rule of faith and 
practice is the New Testament itself. The one di- 
vine creed, the summary of the whole religion of 
the Christ, the summary of the New Testament, is 
expressed in this one plain proposition : Jesus is 



the Apostolic Church. 41 

the Christ, the Son of God. If this proposition 
is true, then all else is true ; then all that Jesus said, 
did and commanded through his apostles is true; 
then Jesus is divine, and "he died for our sins" and 
arose from the dead the third day. This one divine 
creed is simple, containing just one article expressed 
in one simple proposition; yet, at the same time, it 
is all-comprehensive, taking in the whole messiahship, 
lordship and divinity of Jesus. No one can helieve 
more concerning the Christ than is expressed in this 
one heaven-born proposition or creed. This one divine 
creed needs no revision, no addition thereto nor sub- 
traction therefrom, nor any improvement whatever 
to meet the religious wants of all the ages to come. 
What the world needs to-day is the restoration of the 
one divine creed and the complete abandonment of 
all human or man-made creeds. 

The one divine rule of faith and practice, in the 
religion of Jesus Christ, is the Word of God, espe- 
cially the New Testament, which is of special author- 
ity under the reign of the Christ. This is all-sufti- 
cient and alone-sufficient to teach and guide man in- 
all religious faith and practice, being a lamp unto 
his feet and a light unto his path. An inspired 
apostle says: "Every scripture inspired of God is 
also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correc- 



42 The Plea to Restore 

tion, for instruction which is in righteousness: that 
the man of , God may be complete, furnished com- 
pletely unto every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). 
Again: "For the word of God is living, and active, 
and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing 
even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints 
and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and 
intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12). The apostle 
James says : "Wherefore ^.putting away all filthiness 
and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness 
the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" 
(Jas. 1:21). Paul says: "Fori am not ashamed 
of the gospel : for it is the power of. God unto salva- 
tion to every one that believeth ; to the Jew first and 
also to the Greek" (Kom. 1:16). Jesus says: "The 
words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and 
are life" (John 6:63). From all these Scripture 
statements, the conclusion is reached that. the Word 
of God is all-sufficient and alone-sufficient as the one 
divine rule of faith and practice. 

In the beginning, before there had been a falling 
away from "the faith," and for more than a hun- 
dred years after the establishment of the church of 
Christ on the earth, the disciples of Christ had no 
other rule of faith and practice than the Word of 
God, the word of the inspired apostles and inspired 



the Apostolic Church. 43 

teachers of Christ. When false teachers arose and 
ambitions men began their evil work in the churches, 
then human creeds and human rules of faith and 
practice were born to curse the church of God with 
sects and sectarianism. The restoration of the one 
divine creed, means the destruction of all sects and 
sectarianism among professed Christians. 

3d. The Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church 
means the restoration of the faith and practice of the 
inspired apostles of the Christ. 

In the New Testament there is a complete in- 
spired presentation of the faith and practice of the 
apostles. Then to the New Testament all must go 
to learn all things spoken or taught by the apostles 
of the Christ, as they were moved and inspired by 
the Holy Spirit, or as the Holy Spirit gave them 
utterance. It is said of the apostles when they be- 
gan their work on the day of Pentecost : "And they 
were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to 
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them 
utterance" (Acts 2:4). 

The faith of the apostles means the faith, or 
belief, they themselves exercised and conunanded. 
The faith commanded by the apostles, and that 
which they exercised, is a personal faith, faith in a 
person; it is faith in the divine person, Jesus the 



44 The Plea to Restore 

Christ, the Son of God. With the apostles the ques- 
tion was not, What do you believe? but, Whom do 
you believe? or, In whom do you believe? Do you 
believe in the Christ? is the one vital question in 
reference to the exercising of saving faith, the faith 
commanded by the apostles. Hence, when the jailer 
asked the soul-stirring question, "Sirs, what must 
I do to be saved?" an inspired apostle answered, 
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 
saved" (Acts 16:31). Faith in the Christ is faith 
that trusts in the Christ; and trust in the Christ is 
to take the Christ at his word and do what he com- 
mands. No one has faith in the Christ, nor trusts 
in the Christ, that does not obey the Christ in his 
commandments. Trust in the Christ goes no further 
than humble obedience to the Christ goes. The sick 
patient trusts in the physician to get well just as far 
as he takes the medicine and does what the physician 
says. Just so, man must trust in the divine Physi- 
cian for the healing of his soul by obeying him. 

Faith in the Christ is saving faith because it is 
faith in the one personal Saviour. Faith in the 
Christ is the "one faith" commanded by the apostles 
in the gospel. This "one faith" is produced, or 
comes, by 'hearing, hearing the word of the Christ. 
Paul says: "So belief [faith] cometh of hearing, 



the Apostolic Church. 45 

and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:1?). 
Faith in the Christ also means the belief of what 
the Christ has said and what is affirmed of him in 
the Word of God. It is all f oil}'' to say that one has 
faith in the Christ, and at the same time that one 
does not believe all that the Christ has said, or what 
the Word of God has affirmed of the Christ. Faith 
in the Christ, or faith in what is affirmed of the 
Christ in the Word of God, is that faith which brings 
life in the name of the Christ. John says : "Many 
other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the 
disciples, which are not written in this book, but 
these are written, that ye may believe .that Jesus is 
the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing [that 
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God] ye may have 
life in his name" (John 20:30). This faith in the 
Christ is then the faith of the apostles, the faith they 
had and commanded all men to have in order to sal- 
vation. The oral confession of this personal faith 
in the Christ is the one divine confession of faith 
commanded in the gospel, which was revealed to 
Simon Peter by the Father in heaven (Matt. 16:17, 
18). This was the only confession of faith that the 
inspired apostles demanded of any one. This one 
divine confession of faith, with repentance, admitted 
persons to baptism, and, through baptism, admission 
into the Apostolic Church. 



46 The Plea to Restore 

The practice of the apostles means all that the 
apostles did, preached, taught, commanded and 
wrote for "universal observance in all time to come, 
as they were miraculously endowed by the inspira- 
tion of the Holy Spirit, as now revealed in the New 
Testament. In the apostolic commission the Christ 
commanded his apostles to preach the gospel and 
teach "all things whatsoever" he had commanded 
them. That the apostles might remember and teach 
all things commanded by the Christ, he gave them 
this special promise : "But the Comforter, even the 
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, 
he shall teach you all things, and bring to your 
remembrance all that I said unto }^ou" (John 14 :26) . 
Then the practice of the apostles covers the whole 
ground, and takes in the whole truth as it is in 
Jesus, and all that the dear Lord would have us to 
know, to practice and to be. It therefore takes in 
the whole Apostolic Church in its entirety of faith, 
doctrine and practice. All of this is the practice of 
the apostles, as it is now given by divine inspiration 
in "the new testament of our Lord and Saviour, 
Jesus Christ/' 

The restoration of the faith and practice of the 
apostles means a complete return in all things of 
faith and practice, wherein there has been a falling 



the Apostolic Church. 47 

away, to original apostolic faith and teaching. It 
means the undoing of all false teaching and religious 
error by reproducing, or restoring, "the faith 
which was once for all delivered unto the saints." 
It means the going back to the Christ and the in- 
spired apostles, or, rather, the going back to the 
Christ through the inspired apostles, and restoring 
the Apostolic Church, as it was when first established 
by the Christ through the apostles. The battle-cry of 
the great Eestoration Movement of the nineteenth 
century is, "Back to the Christ I" But "back to the 
Christ" means back to the Christ through 
the inspired apostles of the Christ. The 
world knows nothing of the Christ, neither can 
it learn anything of the Christ nor go back to the 
Christ, save through the inspired apostles of the 
Christ. Therefore, the restoration of the faith and 
practice of the apostles means the going back to the 
Christ through the apostles, and reproducing the 
Apostolic Church in all things wherein there has 
been apostacy. 



CHAPTER VI. 

WHAT THE PLEA DOES MEAN. 
[Continued.] 

4th. The Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church 
means the restoration of the original unity of the 
Apostolic Church, or the primitive oneness of the 
body of Christ. 

When a view is taken of the present state of the 
religious world, it will be seen that the vast majority 
of professed followers of the Christ are divided into 
more than three hundred different parties, sects or 
denominations. What an awful havoc the falling 
away from "the faith" has produced! It is enough 
to make the very angels weep, and almost forget that 
they are "sent forth to do service for the sake of 
them that shall inherit salvation" ! Above all, how 
painful and displeasing it must be to the dear Lord 
to behold the divided condition of his professed chil- 
dren! 

The blessed Christ earnestly prayed for the unity 
or oneness of his disciples, in the great intercessory 
prayer, recorded in these touching words : "Neither 
for these only do I pray, but for them also that 
believe on me through their word; that they may 

49 



50 The Plea to Restore 

all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I 
in thee, that they also ma}' be in us : that the world 
may believe that thou didst send me" (John 17 :20, 
21). What is this unity or oneness for which our 
dear Lord so earnestly prayed? Surely this prayer 
of the Son of God is to be answered. This being 
true, then the meaning of the prayer needs to be 
carefully studied. 

The Christ prayed for all who , believe on him 
through the word of the apostles, "that they may all 
be one;" and they are to be one "even as thou, 
Father, art in me, and I in thee." As the Father 
is in the Son and the Son in the Father, so are the 
disciples of Jesus to be one, and thus be one in the 
Father and in the Son. In nature, character, pur- 
pose and work, the Father is in the Son and the Son 
is in the Father. Tn other words, the Father and 
the Son are one in nature, character, purpose and 
work ; and just so the disciples of Jesus are to be one 
— one in nature, character, purpose and work. 

Again, when the Christ prayed that all his disci- 
ples might be one as the Father was in him and he in 
the Father, he prayed "that they also may be in us" 
— in the Father and in the Son. To "be in us," in 
the Father and in the Son, certainly means to be one 
in the Father and in the Son. To be in the Father 



the Apostolic Church. 51 

and in the Son is to be under the complete authority 
and government of the Father and the Son, and be 
in fellowship with the Father and with the Son. 
John says: "Our fellowship is with the Father, 
and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3). 

To be in the Father and in the Son means the 
same thing as is expressed in the Scripture phrase 
"in Christ" It is "in Christ" that all the disciples 
of Jesus are "one body." Hence, Paul says: 
"So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and 
severally members one of another" (Eom. 12:5). 
Then, the oneness of the disciples of Jesus for which 
he prayed, is the oneness in nature, character, pur- 
pose and work of all those "in Christ." This one- 
ness for which Jesus prayed is not oneness in opin- 
ion, nor is it mere uniformity in means, ways and 
methods of Christian work. This oneness "in Christ" 
can be attained only by oneness in the faith in 
Christ and in the doctrine of Christ. Hence, it may 
be said that the oneness for which the Christ prayed 
is oneness in faith and doctrine; for in the one- 
ness in the faith in the Christ and in the doctrine 
of the Christ, there is the oneness in nature, char- 
acter, purpose and work. This, then, is the unity 
of the Apostolic Church, the oneness of the body of 
Christ. 



52 The Plea to Restore 

The unity of the A]30stolic Church, or the one- 
ness of the body of Christ, or the oneness in faith and 
doctrine, is further taught and illustrated in "the 
unity of the Spirit/' Paul gives this admonition: 
"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you 
to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were 
called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long- 
suffering, forbearing one another in love; giving 
diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the. bond 
of peace." Then the apostle declares what "the unity 
of the Spirit" is, in these words : "There is one body, 
and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one 
hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one bap- 
tism, one Grod and Father of all, who is over all, and 
through all, and in all (Eph. 4:4-6). Here, then, 
"the unity of the Spirit," that is, the unity taught 
or produced by the Holy Spirit, is composed of seven 
units, as follows: (1) The "one, body" (2) the "one 
Spirit;" (3) the "one hope;" (4) the "one Lord;" 
(5) the one faith; (6) the one baptism; (7) the "one 
God and Father of all." Each one of these seven 
units making up "the unity of the Spirit" — "the 
unity taught by the Spirit — demands attention. 

1. The "one body" is the one body of Christ, the 
one church of Christ, the one Apostolic Church. The 
apostle says : "But now they are many members, but 



the Apostolic Church. 53 

one body" (1 Cor. 12 :20). Then the apostle further 
says : "Now ye are the body of Christ, and severally 
members thereof (1 Cor. 12 :27). The same apostle 
sa}^s : "And he is the head of the body, the church" 
(Col. 1 :18). Christ never had but one human body, 
and neither has he but one spiritual body, which is 
composed of all those "in Christ." The inspired 
apostle declares : "So we, who are many, are one 
body in Christ" (Bom. 12:5). The oneness of the 
body of Christ, the church of Christ, the Apostolic 
Church, is forcibly presented in these words : "For 
as the body is one, and hath many members, and all 
the members of the body, being many, are one body; 
so also is Christ. For in one Spirit were we all bap- 
tized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether 
bond or free; and were all made to drink of one 
Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:12, 13). All of this being true, 
then sects or denominations among professed Chris- 
tians are a departure or apostacy from the one church 
of Christ. 

2. The "one Spirit" is the one Holy Spirit, "the 
Spirit of truth," "the Comforter," whom the Father 
sent in the name of Christ (John 14 : 16, 17, 26) . The 
apostle, in speaking of the various "gifts" of the 
Spirit as the miraculous manifestations in the apos- 
tolic age, says : "But all these worketh the one and 



54 The Plea to Restore 

the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even 
as he will" (1 Cor. 12:11). The one Spirit dwells 
in and animates the one body. The church of Christ, 
as "the house of God," is builded together in Christ 
"for a habitation of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2 :22). 
Paul says: "Know ye not that ye are a temple of 
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 
(1 Cor. 3:16). The Holy Spirit dwells in all the 
true followers of the Christ, which is plainly set 
forth in this declaration : "But if the Spirit of him 
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, 
he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall 
quicken also your mortal bodies through his Spirit 
that dwelleth in you" (Eom. 8:11). "By faith," 
and through the Word of Truth, the Holy Spirit 
dwells in the Christian, to sanctify, strengthen and 
comfort him. The special mission of the one Spirit 
to the world is to convict and convert, or turn, sin- 
ners to the Christ through the truth, or through the 
preached gospel which is the power of God unto sal- 
vation to every one that believes it. 

3. The "one hope" is "the one hope of your 
calling." This "calling" is he holy occupation or 
profession of the Christian. In this holy vocation 
the Christian is prompted and urged forward by the 
"one hope." Hope is something not seen. Paul 



the Apostolic Church. 55 

sa}'s; "But hope that is seen is not hope; for who 
hopeth for that which he seeth?" (Rom. 8:24). 
Hope, which has sole reference to the future, has in 
it two elements; namely, the desire for something 
good, the expectation of receiving something good. 
Hope, which has in it the elements of desire and ex- 
pectation, is always based upon faith in something; 
this is specially true in reference to the Christian's 
hope. Faith in the Word of God, especially in its 
promises, always stands under the hope of the Chris- 
tian. The Common Version says : "Now faith is 
the substance of things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1). 
"Substance" comes from sub, under, anl starve, to 
stand; then "substance" means, literally, to stand 
under, or that which stands under anything. If the 
Common Version is correct, then the idea is this : 
"Now, faith stands under the things hoped for." 
But let this be as it may, faith in the promises of 
God always stands under the things hoped for by 
the Christian. But what is the "one hope" of the 
Christian? The greatest desire of the Christian is 
eternal life and his^greatest expectation is the glori- 
ous expectation of receiving this eternal life. There- 
fore, the "one hope" is the hope of immortality, 
the hope of eternal life. This is the great promise 
made by God to the faithful Christian. Paul says : 



56 The Plea to Restore 

"In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, 
promised before times eternal" (Tit. 1:2). 

4. The "one Lord" is the one Lord Jesus Christ, 
the head of the "one body," the church, and who is 
its sole lawgiver and supreme ruler. The one Lord 
is Lord of lords and King of kings. God has ex- 
alted Jesus to be both Lord and Christ, who is Lord 
over all forever more ! Peter said on the day of 
Pentecost : "Let all the house of Israel therefore 
know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord 
and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified" (Acts 2 : 
36). Paul says: "To us there is one God, the Fa- 
ther, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and 
one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, 
and we through him" (1 Cor. 8:6). The Lordship 
of Jesus is a matter of supreme importance, as seen 
in this bold declaration of Scripture : "All things 
have been created through him, and unto him; and 
he is before all things ; and in him all things consist. 
And he is the head of the body, the church; who is 
the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in 
all things he might have the pre-eminence" (Col. 1: 
17, 18). The one Lord is the sole Lord of the soul 
and conscience. To him only all owe allegiance 
in all tilings. Hence, the all-important question is 
not, What does man or some church or some creed 



the Apostolic Church. 57 

say? but, What does the Lord Jesus Christ say or 
command ? 

5. The "one faith" is faith in the "one Lord." 
The "one faith" is not faith in some theory of con- 
version, or some theory of the work of the Holy 
Spirit, or some theory of the atonement, or some 
theory of inspiration, or any theory. But the one 
faith is the faith of the whole heart in the divine 
Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. This "one faith" 
is always an active, living and obedient faith. With 
the apostles there is no such an idea as "kinds" of 
faith. There may be different objects of faith, but 
not kinds of faith, "for all faith is one." There 
are degrees in faith; such as "little faith," "weak 
faith" and "great faith," but not kinds of faith. 
When one looks at a red object, and then looks at a 
green object, the act of seeing is the same; it is not 
red seeing when he looks at the red object, neither is 
it green seeing when he looks at the green object. 
The difference here is not in hinds of seeing, but in 
the objects seen. To smell a fragrant flower and 
then smell a putricLcarcass are not two kinds of smell- 
ing; the act of smelling is the same, but the dif- 
ference is in the objects smelled. So, then, there may 
be different objects of faith, but not kinds of faith. 
All this preaching about "evangelical faith." "his- 



58 The Plea to Restore 

torical faith/' "saving faith" and "justifying faith/' 
as kinds of faith, is sectarian jargon born of the 
apostacy from apostolic Christianity. The effects 
of faith always grow out of the thing believed, or 
the object in which one believes, and not in "kinds" 
of faith as taught by many of the denominations. 
When Jacob believed that his son Joseph was dead, 
and afterwards believed that he was alive, the ef- 
fects of his faith were quite different, as that of 
grief and joy. It was hot one kind of faith that pro- 
duced the grief and another kind that produced the 
joy; the faith itself was the same in reference to 
Joseph's supposed death and in his being alive; but 
the two different effects in the mind of Jacob grew 
out of the thing he believed concerning Joseph. The 
"one faith" in the Christ brings joy and salvation 
to the unsaved, because it is faith in the one Saviour 
and not because it is some particular kind of faith. 
G. The "one baptism" does not mean there is 
"one water baptism" and "one Holy Spirit baptism," 
as modern denominationalism teaches ; but the Scrip- 
ture says, "One baptism/' without any such distinc- 
tion as one baptism of a certain kind and one bap- 
tism of another kind. The "one baptism" is certain- 
ly the baptism commanded by the "one Lord" in the 
apostolic commission, and practiced, or administered. 



the Apostolic Church. 59 

by the apostles. The only baptism ever commanded 
by the Christ or administered by the apostles is the 
baptism "in water" not "with water/' as it reads in 
the Common Version, but in water, as it reads in the 
Eevised Version Americanized. No Biblical student 
can call in question the fact that the baptism com- 
manded by the Christ is the baptism "in water. 3 ' 
This is put with emphasis here because it is an un- 
questionable fact. The baptism "in the Holy Spirit" 
was a promise, administered solely by the Christ, and 
nowhere commanded in all the New Testament. 
Therefore, the "one baptism" is the baptism "in 
water." In the apostolic age, and years afterward, 
there was no question or argument by any one as to 
what is baptism, for all knew just what it is. Some 
of the very first departures from apostolic teaching 
and practice began in the perversions of the ordi- 
nance of baptism. In answering the question, What 
is the baptism "in water"? it is proposed here to 
let some eminent scholars and theologians who have 
practiced affusion for baptism, answer this important 
question, as follows-: 

1. Beza, the great Reformer, says: "To be 
baptized in water, signifies no other than to be im- 
mersed in water; which is the external ceremony 
of baptism." — Annotations in Acts 10: 3, p. 488. 



60 The Plea to Restore 

2. Martin Luther says : "The term 'baptism' 
is a Greek word; it may be rendered into Latin by 
mersio : when we immerse anything in water, that 
it ma} r be entirely covered with water. And though 
that custom be quite abolished among the generality 
(for neither do they entirely dip children, but only 
sprinkle them with a little water), nevertheless they 
ought to be wholly immersed, and immediately to 
be drawn out again, for the etymology of the word 
seems to require it." — Opera, Tom. L, p. 72. 

3. John Calvin says : "But whether the person 
who is baptized be wholly immersed, and whether 
thrice or once, or whether water be only poured or 
sprinkled upon him is of no importance; churches 
ought to be left at liberty to act according to the dif- 
ference of countries. The very word 'baptize' signi- 
fies to immerse, and it is certain that immersion was 
the practice of the ancient church." — Calvin's In- 
stitutes, Vol. II., p. 491, published in 18-41, by the 
Presbyterian Board of Publication, Philadelphia, 
Pa. 

4. Mosheim, the church historian, says: "The 
sacrament of baptism was administered in this cen- 
tury [the first century] without the public assem- 
blies, in places appointed and prepared for that pur- 
pose, and was performed by an immersion of the 



the Apostolic Church. 61 

whole body in the baptismal font." — Ecclesiastical 
History, Vol. I., p. 46. 

5. S chaff, the church historian, says: "The 
usual form of baptism was immersion. This is in- 
ferred from the original meaning of the Greek bap- 
tizein and baptismos; from the analogy of John's 
baptism in the Jordan; from the apostles' compari- 
son of the sacred rite with the miraculous passage of 
the Eed Sea, with the escape of the ark from the 
flood, with a cleansing and refreshing bath, and with 
burial and resurrection; finally, from the general 
custom of the ancient church, which [immersion] 
prevails in the East to this day." — History of the 
Christian Church, Vol. I., p. 468. 

6. Conybeare and Hoivson, of the Church of 
England, say: "It is needless to add that baptism 
was (unless in exceptional cases) administered by 
immersion, the convert being plunged beneath the 
surface of the water to represent his death to the 
life of sin, and then raised from this momentary 
burial to represent his resurrection to the life of 
righteousness. It must be a subject of regret that 
the general discontinuance of this original form of 
baptism (though perhaps necessary in our northern 
climate) has rendered obscure to popular apprehen- 



62 The Plea to Restore 

sion some very important passages of Scripture." 
— Life and Epistles of Paul, Vol. I., p. 518. 

According to the testimony of these eminent 
scholars and theologians of the affusionist school, 
the "one baptism" in water means an immersion in 
water. Therefore the "one baptism" in water com- 
manded by the one Lord, is the immersion in water 
of a proper subject "into the name of the Father 
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." 

7. The "one God and Father of all" is the 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, "the Father of 
spirits," "our Father who art in heaven." Jesus, 
the one Lord, is the full revelation of the one Fa- 
ther of all to the children of men. In the Christ the 
world may behold the Father of all. The Christ 
came from the Father to the world to tell man that 
God is his Father, "the Father of all, who is over all, 
and through all, and in all." Out of the fatherhood 
of God comes the blessed thought, the brotherhood 
of man! The fatherhood of God and the brother- 
hood of man are two vital thoughts to be found only 
and first in the religion of Christ. 

In the foregoing seven units — the "one body," the 
"one Spirit," the "one hope," the "one Lord," the 
"one faith," the "one baptism," the "one God and 
Father of all" — we have "the unity of the Spirit," 



the Apostolic Church. 63 

the original unity of the Apostolic Church. Wher- 
ever these seven units are to be found, there only 
is found the oneness in faith and doctrine, the one- 
ness in nature, character, purpose and work, the 
primitive oneness of the body of Christ. The unity 
of the Apostolic Church, the oneness of the body of 
Christ, is organic just as far as it is expressed in 
the organization of the local church, or churches of 
Christ, and expressed in fraternal fellowship and co- 
operation in every good word and work. This ap- 
pears to be all the organic unity, or union, taught in 
the New Testament. 



CHAPTER VII. 

WHAT THE PLEA DOES MEAN. 
[Continued.] 

5th. The Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church 
means the restoration of the apostolic evangelism. 

By apostolic evangelism is meant the preaching 
of the apostles in turning sinners to the Christ, teach- 
ing the baptized and establishing churches of Christ. 
What is now needed, and always needed, is to preach 
just what the apostles preached, and tell sinners 
what they must do to be saved, just what the apos- 
tles told them to do. What the Christ commanded 
the apostles to preach and teach is contained in the 
apostolic commission. Hence, this apostolic commis- 
sion needs to be carefully studied. The commission 
that Christ gave to his apostles, as recorded by the 
four inspired writers, is as follows : 

1. "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all 
the nations, baptizing them into the name of the 
lather and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit : 
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I 
commanded you : and lo, I am with you alway, even 
unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28: 19, 20). 

2. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
gospel to the whole creation. He that belie veth and 



66 The Plea to Restore 

is baptized shall be saved; but lie that disbelieveth 
shall be condemned" (Mark 16:15, 16). 

3. "Thus it is written, that the Christ should 
suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; 
and that repentance and remission of sins should be 
preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning 
from Jerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these things. 
And behold, I send forth the promise of my Father 
upon you: but tarry ye in the city, until ye be 
clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24 : 46-49). 

4. "Peace be unto you : as the Father hath sent 
me, even so send 1 you. And when he had said 
this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Re- 
ceive ye the Holy Spirit : whose soever sins ye for- 
give, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever ye 
retain, they are retained" (John 20:21-23). 

From this apostolic commission it is learned that 
the apostles preached "the gospel," preached the 
Christ, preached the Word; and that they preached 
"repentance and remission of sins" in the name of 
the Christ unto all the nations. In doing this 
preaching they made disciples or penitent believers; 
and when they made penitent believers they baptized 
them, and when the penitent believers were baptized 
they were "saved" or received "remission of sins." 
The baptized penitent believers were then taught to 



the Apostolic Church. 67 

observe all things whatsoever commanded by the 
Christ. In this apostolic commission is to be found 
the apostolic rule of conversion to the Christ, as fol- 
lows: (1) Preaching the gospel; (2) faith, or be- 
lief of the gospel; (3) repentance; (4) baptism of 
the penitent believers ; ( 5 ) salvation, or remission of 
sins. In this apostolic rule of conversion, the follow- 
ing are the gospel conditions, or terms, of salvation 
or remission of sins: (1) Faith; (2) repentance; 
(3) baptism. Of course the faith was the faith of 
the whole heart in the Christ, and a confession of the 
same; the repentance was a real sorrow for sin. and 
a turning away from sin; and the baptism was an 
embodiment of this faith, and repentance in humble 
submission to the authority of the Father and of the 
Son and of the Holy Spirit. When the apostles 
made known these terms of remission of sins in 
preaching the gospel, in that sense only did they 
forgive sins; 'and when they did not disclose the 
terms of forgiveness, or withheld them, in that 
sense only they retained sins. This is, evidently, 
what Christ meant by the words: "Whose soever 
sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; and 
whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." 

Much of the preaching of modern denomina- 
tions is wholly unlike the plain preaching of the 



68 The Pica to Restore. 

apostles. To preach just what the apostles preach- 
ed, and tell sinners what they must do to be saved, 
just what the apostles told them to do, would break 
up some modern denominational revivals. Years 
ago the lamented George E. Flower, in a denomi- 
national revival at Evansville, Ind., attempted to 
read, without note or comment, just what the apos- 
tles told sinners to do to be saved, and he was called 
clown and not permitted to read the simple Word of 
God. Bro. Flower was even accused of trying to 
break up the "union (?) revival" by wanting to 
read the apostle's answer to the question, "What 
must I do to be saved?" without note or comment. 
Even the great evangelist Moody, years since, in 
Cincinnati, 0., would not permit a Christian preach- 
er to read, without note or comment, the simple 
language of the apostles in telling sinners what they 
must do to be saved. 

The apostles preached the gospel to the people; 
they then told the sinner to believe the gospel, or 
believe in the Christ, repent of his sins and be bap- 
tized, and he should be saved or receive the remission 
of sins. In all the cases of conversion, specially men- 
tioned in Acts of Apostles, it is plainly stated that 
all persons, who believed in Christ and repented, 
were baptized ; and thus they converted or turned 



the Apostolic Church. 69 

to the Christ. In every particular instance of con- 
version, while faith or repentance may not be di- 
rectly mentioned, but implied, baptism is always 
mentioned without a single exception. This cer- 
tainly means something which has been greatly over- 
looked by some denominational evangelists. Of the 
three thousand converted on the day of Pentecost, 
it is said of them : "They then that received his 
word, were baptized" (Acts 2:41). Of the conver- 
sion of the Samaritans, it is said : "But when they 
believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning 
the kingdom of God and the name of Jesns Christ, 
they were baptized, both men and women" (Acts 
8: 12). It is said of the conversion of the eunuch: 
"And they both went down into the water, both 
Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him" (Acts 
8:38). The last thing said in reference to Saul's 
conversion, is this: "And he arose and was bap- 
tized" (Acts 9:18). In the conversion of Cornelius 
and his house, it is said : "And he commanded them 
to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 
10:48). In speaking of the conversion of Lydia, the 
inspired writer says : "And when she was baptized . 
and her household, she besought us. saying. If ye 
have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into 
my house and 'abide there" (Acts 16:15). Of the 



70 The Plea to Restore 

conversion of the jailer it is stated: "And he took 
them the same hour of the night, and washed their 
stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immedi- 
ately" (Acts 16:33). The brief mention of the con- 
version of the Corinthians is given in these words: 
"And many of the Corinthians hearing believed, 
and were baptized" (Acts 18:8). 

In an examination of the foregoing eight ex- 
amples of conversion to Christ, specially mentioned 
in Acts of Apostles, it will be seen that the apostles 
simply preached the gospel and told sinners to be- 
lieve in Christ, repent and be baptized for the remis- 
sion of sins, or to be s'aved, and they should receive 
the gift of the Holy Spirit. All persons thus con- 
verted to Christ, under the preaching of the apostles, 
thereby became simply disciples of Christ or Chris- 
tians only; and these disciples of Christ were gath- 
ered into local congregations, called "churches of 
Christ." The apostles taught these disciples, organ- 
ized into local churches of Christ, to diligently ob- 
serve all things whatsoever commanded by the 
Christ; and these disciples "continued stedfastly in 
the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking 
of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42). 

Christ commanded his apostles to tarry in the 
city of Jerusalem until they should receive the 



the Apostolic Church. 71 

promise of the Father, and thus be clothed with 
power from on high, before they began to make 
disciples of the nations. The apostles, as they were 
instructed by the Christ and specially endowed by 
the Holy Spirit, began their preaching on the day 
of Pentecost. Then to the day of Pentecost, 
"the beginning/' we must go to hear the first 
gospel sermon preached under the reign of the 
exalted and glorified Christ. Here we have the 
beginning of the 'apostolic evangelism, which needs 
to be reproduced to-day in order to the restoration 
of apostolic Christianity in all its simplicity and 
fullness. This first gospel sermon preached on the 
day of Pentecost needs to be closely studied and re- 
studied. It is of such vast importance that it is 
here reproduced according to the most approved 
translation. The present writer is responsible for 
the analysis and headings. 

The First Gospel Sermon - . 
Theme. — Jesus Christ and Salvation Through Him. 

-INTRODUCTION. 

1. The occasion of the sermon. "And when the 
day of Pentecost was now come, they were all to- 
gether in one place. And suddenly there came from 



72 The Plea to Restore 

heaven a sound as of the rushing of 'a mighty wind, 
and it filled all the house where they were sitting." 

2. Preparation of the preacher. "And there ap- 
peared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as 
fire; and it sat upon each one of them. And they 
were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to 
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them 
utterance." 

3. Persons addressed. "Now there were dwell- 
ing at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every na- 
tion under heaven. iVnd when this sound was heard, 
the multitude came together, and were confounded, 
because that every man heard them speaking in his 
own language." 

4. attention of the hearers obtained. "And they 
were all amazed and marvelled, saying, Behold, are 
not all these who speak Galilaeans? And how hear 
we, every man in our own language, wherein we were 
born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the 
dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judaea and Cappadocia, 
in Pontus and Asia, in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in 
Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and so- 
journers from Eome, both Jews and proselytes, Cre- 
tans and Arabians, we do hear them speaking in our 
tongues the mighty works of God. And they were 
all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to an- 



the Apostolic Church. 73 

other, What meaneth this? But others mocking 
said, They are filled with new wine." 

The Sermon as Preached by Peter, 
i. a false charge refuted. 

1. The hour of the day against the charge. "But 
Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his 
voice, and spake forth unto them, saying, Ye men of 
Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this 
known unto you, and give ear unto my words. For 
these are not drunken, as ye suppose ; seeing it is but 
the third hour of the day." 

2. An appeal to the prophet to refute the charge. 
"But this is that which hath been spoken by the 
prophet Joel; 

And it shall be in the last days, saith God, 
I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh: 
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. 
And your young men shall see visions, 
And your old men shall dream dreams: 
Yea, and on my servants and on my handmaidens 

in those days 
'Will I pour forth of my Spirit ; and they shall 

prophesy. 

And I will shew wonders in the heaven above, 
And signs on the earth beneath; 



74 The Plea to Restore 

Blood, and fire, 'and vapour of smoke : 
The sun shall be turned into darkness, 
And the moon into blood, 
Before the day of the Lord come, 
That great and notable day : 
And it shall' be, that whosoever shall ell on 
the name of the Lord shall be saved/' 

II. JESUS OF NAZARETH INTRODUCED. 

1. Character, death and resurrection. "Ye men of 
Israel, hear these words : Jesus of Nazareth, a man 
approved of God unto you by mighty works and won- 
ders and signs, which God did by him in the midst 
of you, even as ye yourselves know ; him, being deliv- 
ered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowl- 
edge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did cru- 
cify and slay; whom God raised up, having loosed 
the pangs of death; because it was not possible that 
he should be holden of it." 

2. An appeal to David concerning Jesus. "For 
David saith concerning him, 

I beheld the Lord always before my face; 

For he is on my right baud, that T should not be 
moved : 

Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue re- 
joiced ; 



the Apostolic Church. 75 

Moreover my flesh also shall dwell in hope : 
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in Hades, 
Neither wilt thou give thy Holy One to see cor- 
ruption. 
Thou madest known unto me the ways of life; 
Thou shalt make me full of gladness with thy 

countenance." 
3. David as a prophet foretold the resurrection 
of Jesus. "Brethren, I may say unto you freely of 
the patriarch David, that he both died and was 
buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day. Be- 
ing therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had 
sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his 
loins he would set one upon his throne; he foresee- 
ing this, spake of the resurrection of the Christ, 
that neither was he left in Hades, nOr did his flesh 
see corruption/' 

III. THE RESURRECTION AND EXALTATION OF JESUS. 

1. Living witnesses of the resurrection. "This 
Jesus did God raise up, whereof we all [apostles] are 
witnesses." 

2. Holy Spirit poured forth as proof of the exal- 
tation of Jesus. "Being therefore by the right hand 
of God exalted, and having received of the Father 
the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth 
this, which ye see and hear." 



76 The Plea to Restore 

3. The exaltation of Jesus proved by David. 
"For David ascended not into the heaven; but he 
saith himself : 

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my 
right hand, 

Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy 
feet." 

IV. THE GRAND CONCLUSION. 

1. Jesus made both Lord and Christ. "Let all 
the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that 
God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus 
whom ye crucified." 

2. The effect and the question asked. "Now 
when they heard this, they were pricked in their 
heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apos- 
tles, Brethren, what shall we do?" 

3. The answer to the great question. ''And Peter 
said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one 
of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remis- 
sion of your sins ; and ye shall receive the gift of the 
Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise, and to your 
children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as 
the Lord our God shall call unto him." 

4. Words of exhortation. "And with many other 
-words he testified, and exhorted them, saving. Save 
Yourselves from this crooked generation." 



the Apostolic Church. 77 

Final Result of the Sermon. — 'They then that re- 
ceived his word were baptized; and there were added 
unto them in that day about three thousand souls. 
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' teach- 
ing and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the 
prayers" (Acts 2:1-42). 

In making a review of the foregoing apostolic 
sermon, the first gospel sermon, the following points 
are worthy of special emphasis : First, the Christ 
was preached, or the gospel was preached in its sim- 
plicity and fullness. Second, sinners heard the 
preaching attested by divine power, and believed it 
from the very fact that what the}^ heard convicted 
them, or "pricked" them in the heart. Third, these 
sinners who were pricked in the heart, who thus be- 
lieved what was preached, were commanded to re- 
pent and be baptized "unto the remission of sins," 
with the promise that they should "receive the gift 
of the Holy Spirit." Fourth, these sinners were 
convicted, or pricked in the heart, and turned to 
Christ, hj the Holy Spirit in the apostles through 
what was preached to them. In other words, these 
sinners, on the day of Pentecost, were convicted 
and converted by the Holy Spirit through the 
preaching of Peter or the apostles. Fifth, the rule 
of conversion and the gospel conditions of salva- 



78 The Plea to Restore 

lion, or remission of sins, as set forth in the apos- 
tolic commission, are given a practical application. 
In all this we have the apostolic evangelism which 
must be reproduced to-day in order to restore the 
original Apostolic Church. 



CHAPTEE VIII. 

WHAT THE PLEA DOES MEAN". 
[Concluded.] 

6th. The Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church 
means the restoration of the Xew Testament names 
of the followers of Christ. 

It has been said there is nothing in a name ; that 
"a rose by any other name will smell just as sweet/' 
This is mere sentiment and not logic nor truth. There 
is something in a name. Who would not rather wear 
the name of President William Mclvinley than the 
name of his despised assassin? 

Bible names mean something. They are often 
Sjgniflcant of the work or mission of the person so 
named, or of some important incident or event in the 
life of the person. The angel said to Joseph in ref- 
erence to Mary's unborn infant : "And she shall 
bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name 
Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins" 
(Matt. 1:21). The name Jesus means a Saviour, 
the Saviour who saves from sin. Paul says of the 
wonderful name Jesus : "Wheref ore also God highly 
exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is 
above every name; that in the name of Jesus every 



80 The Plea to Restore 

knee should bow. of things in heaven and things on 
earth and things under the earth, and that every 
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to 
the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2 : 9-11). When 
Abram was to become the father of many nations 
he was given the name of Abraham, which name was 
significant of that fact, as is learned from these 
words : "Neither shall thy name any more be called 
Abram, but thy name shall be called Abraham; for 
a father of many nations have I made thee" (Gen. 
17:5). 

In the New Testament, the followers of the 
Christ are designated by several names, which 
names are significant of their character, their relation 
to one another and to their Lord. These New Tes- 
tament names by which the followers of Jesus are 
called or designated, are these: "disciples," "breth- 
ren," "believers," "saints," "Christians." All these 
names or designations are to be accepted and worn 
by all the followers of the Christ. No one follower 
of the Christ, or any number of followers, is to mo- 
nopolize any one of these names, or all of them. All 
these names belong to all the children of God, "the 
Father of all." Any one person, or any number of 
persons, who claims and wears, in an exclusive sense. 
these New Testament names given to all the children 



the Apostolic Church. 81 

of God. sectarianizes these name? and pervert? their 
Scripture meaning-. A brief study of each one of 
the New Testament name?, or designations, of the 
follower? of the Christ, will be profitable to those 
who desire to know and do the will of the Master in 
all things. 

1. '•'Disciples/' — The followers of Jesus, dur- 
ing his personal ministry, were almost exclusively 
called "disciples," "the disciples. 7 * or "his disciples."' 
or ••my disciples." In Acts of Apostles, the expres- 
sion "the disciples'' occurs some twenty times. show- 
ing that this wa? indeed the most common designa- 
tion of the primitive followers of our Lord. The 
word "disciples" means "learners'" or "pupils'' of 
some teacher or leader of thought. Hence, "disci- 
ples" of Christ mean learners or pupils of the Christ. 
The designation indicates the relation that exists be- 
tween Jesus and his followers as that of teacher and 
learners or pupils. The Christ is the great Teacher 
come from God. and his followers are his learners or 
pupils, and therefore they are appropriately called 
"disciples," "the disciples of Christ."' 

2. Brethren. — The primitive disciples of Jesus 
were called or designated fr brethren." "the brethren." 
The Christ said to his disciples : "But be not ye 
called Eabbi ; for one is vour teacher, and all ve are 



82 The Plea to Restore 

brethren" (Matt. 23 : 8). Several times Jesus speaks 
of his disciples as "my brethren/' The expression 
"the brethren" occurs for the first time in John 21 : 
23, in these words : "This saying therefore went 
forth among the brethren/' etc. The expression, 
"the brethren/' occurs in Acts of Apostles and in 
the Epistles, more than one hundred times, to des- 
ignate the disciples of the Christ. The words, "the 
brethren," indicate that tender 'and endearing rela- 
tion which exists between the individual followers 
of Jesus — they are brethren, Christ is an elder Broth- 
er, and God is their Father. The apostles in their 
writings, when expressing great tenderness and af- 
fection toward their fellow disciples, always employed 
the fraternal expression, "the brethren." How 
sweet and tender is the expression, "my brethren," 
in the message that the dear Lord gave to the women 
on the morning of the resurrection, when he said: 
"Go tell my brethren that they depart into Galilee, 
and there shall they see me" (Matt. 28: 10) ! "My 
brethren/' "the brethren" of the blessed Christ ! 

3 "Believers. — Paul says to Timothy: "Be 
thou an example to them that believe" (1 Tim. 4: 
12). The Common Version says: "But be thou an 
example of the believers/' In the Epistles, the disci- 
ples of the Christ are often referred to as "them that 



the Apostolic Church. 83 

believe," or "those that believe," meaning "the be- 
lievers." In Christianity its adherents are pre-emi- 
nently the believers, persons of unflinching belief or 
faith in the Christ, their one Lord and Saviour; for 
they indeed "walk by faith" and "live in faith." 
Paul says: "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 
Cor. 5:7). The apostle further says: "I have been 
crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, 
but Christ liveth in me : and that life which I now 
live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in 
the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up 
for me" (Gal. 2:20). Again, the apostle says: 
"And whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Eom. 14: 
23). The whole religion of the Christ belongs to the 
realm of faith, or belief. Every act of worship and 
service acceptable to the Christ is an expression of 
faith or belief in the Christ. The significant ordi- 
nance of baptism is an expression, or embodiment, of 
the soul's faith, unfeigned faith, in Jesus Christ, who 
commanded the ordinance. Therefore, the follow- 
ers of the Christ are very properly designated "the 
believers." 

4. Saints. — The word "saints" means persons 
who are "holy, set apart or separate." In the Old 
Testament, the ancient people of God are called 
"saints" more than forty times. In the New Testa^ 



84 The Plea to Restore 

ment, the followers of the Christ are designated by 
the word "saints" more thci 1 ^ sixty times. Paul ad- 
dresses the brethren at R^r.e thus: "To all that are 
in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints" (Rom. 
1:7). The words "tc be" have no representation in 
the Greek, and they should not appear in the trans- 
lation. The correct translation reads thus : "To 
all that are in Home, beloved of God, called saints." 
The .saints of the New Testament are "the holy." 
Moses ft. Lard, throughout his "Commentary on 
Romans," translates the Greek of which we have the 
word "saints" by the words "the holy." In this 
translation, the commentator is certainly correct. 
Of all the names by which Jesus 7 followers are des- 
ignated, the name "saints" is, perhaps, the most ex- 
pressive of character. The followers of Jesus are to be 
in heart and life holy, "the holy," Godlike and Christ- 
like ; and therefore they are very appropriately called 
"the holy,"* "the saints." All living disciples of the 
Christ are saints, not just a few dead ones. The di- 
vine injunction comes to all as expressed in these 
words : "But like as he who called you is holy, be ye 
yourselves also holy in all manner of living; because - 
it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy" (1 Pet. 
1: 15). All disciples of Jesus are to be "holy breth- 
ren, partakers of a heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1), 



the Apostolic Church. 85 

5. "Christians/' — The word "Christians/' in 
the plural form, occurs only once, and in the sin- 
gular form twice, in the New Testament. The word 
occurs for the first time in this noted passage : "And 
it came to pass, that even for a whole year they 
[Barnabas, and Saul, or Paul] were gathered together 
with the church, and taught much people; and the 
disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" 
(Acts 11 : 26). It is claimed by some that the disci- 
ples were called Christians by Barnabas and Paul; 
and therefore this name was given by divine direc- 
tion or inspiration. The present writer once accept- 
ed this view, but after more careful investigation he 
has abandoned it altogether. The text simply states 
the fact "that the disciples were called Christians 
first in Antioch," without saying one word as to who 
did this; that is, who called the disciples Christians. 
It is the firm conviction of the present writer that 
the disciples were called Christians in Antioch by 
the outside heathen Antiochians, who did this in 
derision of the disciples. In proof of this, careful 
attention is invited to the following : 

1st. The followers of Jesus are called or desig- 
nated .as "the disciples," "tb- breihr-n," c ;lho ho- 
lio-voTs" or "the saints," by inspiration ton o-r fifteen 
vears before there is any mention, at all. of the name 



86 The Plea to Restore 

"Christian" or "Christians"; and when the name is 
mentioned for the first time it is given in a heathen 
Gentile city. 2d. Beginning with the eleventh chap- 
ter of Acts, it is found in the remaining seventeen 
chapters that the followers of Jesus are called or des- 
ignated as "the saints" one time, "the disciples" 
fourteen times, and "the brethren" twenty-two times ; 
and not one time are they called or designated "Chris- 
tians." This certainly ought to mean something in 
this investigation. 3d. Barring the controverted 
passage, Acts 11 : 26, nowhere in all the New Testa- 
ment does any apostle or inspired writer ever call or 
designate the followers of Jesus by the name of 
"Christians." This is an absolute fact which can not 
be set aside, and ought to have some weight with 
those who are seeking the truth in reference to the 
origin of the name "Christian" or "Christians." 4th." 
Barnabas and Paul "taught much people" in Anti- 
och; they preached to the people the Christ, and 
many believed in the Christ and obeyed the Christ, 
thus becoming the followers of the Christ. The name 
of the Christ was the one name heard everywhere 
until, perhaps, it began to be hawked on the streets 
by the unbelieving Antiochians, who, when they saw 
that many of their number had become believers in 
the Christ, called them, in derision of the Christ, 



the Apostolic Church. 87 

Christ-ians or Christians, thus nicknaming them af- 
ter the Christ. This appears to be the true origin of 
the name "Christians" in Antioch; and all this talk 
about the name "Christian" being the "new name" 
spoken of by the Old Testament prophet, is wholly 
fantastic. 

The first time the word "Christian/' in the sin- 
gular form, appears in the New Testament, is found 
in this passage : "And Agrippa said unto Paul, With 
but little persuasion thou wouldst fain make me a 
Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that 
whether with little or with much, not thou only, but 
also all that hear me this day, might become such as 
1 am, except these bonds" (Acts 26: 28, 29). King 
Agrippa, a Eoman officer, evidently employs the 
word "Christian" in the same sense that the heathen 
Antiochians used it. In fact, Agrippa's language to 
Paul appears to be rather ridicule, or a fine piece of 
sarcasm! Paul, in reply, does not use the word 
"Christian" at all, nor does he appear to sanction the 
use of the word ; for, had he done so, something like 
this would have been his reply : "I would to . God 
that you and all that hear me this day might become 
Christians." But Paul says these words: "I would 
to God ... all that hear me this day, might 
become such as I am, except these bonds." 



88 The Plea to Restore 

The second and last occurrence of the word 
"Christian," in the singular form, is found in this 
text : "For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a 
thief, or an evil-doer, or as a meddler in other men's 
matters; but if a man suffer as a Christian, let 
him not be ashamed ; but let him glorify God in this 
name" (1 Pet. 4: 15, 16). When Peter wrote these 
words it appears that the disciples of Jesus were then 
being much persecuted by their heathen opposers. 
The apostle writes to the brethren : "Beloved, think 
it not strange concerning the fiery trial among you, 
which cometh upon you to prove you" (1 Pet. 4: 12). 
It is learned from profane history that when the 
heathens persecuted the disciples of Jesus they al- 
ways designated them by the name "Christians," 
using the name in its heathen derisive sense. These 
heathen persecutors asked the one question, "Are you 
a Christian?" and if the question was answered in 
the affirmative, then the torture or persecution was 
inflicted. So, then, the apostle Peter appears to have 
employed the name "Christian" as it was commonly 
used by the heathen persecutors. Bat the apostle 
does say: "But- lot him glorify God in this name" 
(Christian). Prom these words, perhaps, it ought 
to be correctly inferred, that the apostle Peter does 
sanction or approve of the name "Christian/' and 



the Apostolic Church. 89 

that the disciples of Jesus may appropriately be 
called "Christians/' though the name itself is of hea- 
then origin, but appropriated by the early disciples 
of Jesus. In this sense only can it be claimed that 
this name "Christian/' or "Christians/ 7 is one of the 
£Jew Testament names of the followers of the Christ. 
While the Xew Testament names of the followers 
of Jesus, as individuals, are "disciples/' "brethren/' 
"believers," "saints," "Christians," they are. as local 
communities, and in the aggregate, designated by 
other names. As local communities, or congrega- 
tions, the disciples of Jesus are designated, or called, 
"churches of God," "churches of Christ," and when 
a single local congregation is referred to. it is simply 
called "the church," or "the church of God." at that 
place. Paul, in writing to Philemon, speaks of "the 
church in thy house" (Philem. 2) ; and. in writing 
to brethren at Corinth, he designates them as "the 
Church of God that is at Corinth" (1 Cor. 1:2). In 
the aggregate, taking in all the followers of Jesus. 
they are designated, or called, in the New Testament. 
"the church," "the church of God." "the body of 
Christ," and by implication, "the church of Christ." 
since Christ says. "I will build my eh arch!' which 
certainly means "the church of Christ'" These, then. 
are the Xew Testament names, or designations, of the 



90 The Plea to Restore 

followers of the Christ in what may be called church 
relation. 

All such expressions as "our church," "your 
church," "Baptist Church," "Methodist Church," 
"Presbyterian Church," "Catholic Church," and so 
on, are wholly sectarian expressions, subversive of the 
New Testament names, or designations, of the fol- 
lowers of the Christ. The expression, "the Christian 
Church," especially, when used to include only a 
part of the followers of the Christ, is just as sec- 
tarian as the expression, "the Baptist Church," or 
"the Catholic Church." The expression, "the Chris- 
tian Church," is nowhere found in all the New Tes- 
tament ; the expression is like the expression, "the 
Apostolic Church," and is used by commentators 
and other writers to designate, or refer to, that origi- 
nal institution described in the New Testament as 
"the church of God," or "the body of Christ." 

Therefore, those who are making The Plea to Ke- 
store the Apostolic Church are not "the Christian 
Church," though some loose writers and thinkers 
speak of them as such. Those who are making The 
Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church, in the aggre- 
gate, are not a church, nor the church, neither are 
they a denomination or a sect. Those who make this 
incomparable Plea, are, as individuals, simply "dis- 



the Apostolic Church. 91 

ciples of Christ/' "brethren/ 7 "believers/' "saints." 
"Christians"; and, in church relations, they are 
simply "churches of God/' "churches of Christ." no 
more nor less. They are as a people pleading earn- 
estly for the restoration of original apostolic Chris- 
tianity, in all things, where there has been departure 
from "the faith which was once for all delivered un- 
to the saints." Hence, their Plea also means the res- 
toration of the Xew Testament names of the follow- 
ers of the Christ. 



CHAPTEE IX. 

THE RESULTS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE PLEA. 

The results to be accomplished by The Plea to Ee- 
store the Apostolic Church are many and great, in 
view of the present divided state of Christendom 
with its many conflicting dogmas and doctrines of 
men and human inventions in religion. Some of, 
these results will now be pointed out for careful in- 
spection. 

1st. The original church of Christ, in its faith, 
doctrine, organization, government, unity, worship, 
terms of fellowship, terms of admission, will be fully 
restored or reproduced in the world among all Chris- 
tians. In every community where there are Christians, 
these Christians will be, in their organized capacity, 
simply the church of Christ in that community, and 
if the community demands one or more organiza- 
tions, they will be simply "the churches of Christ" 
of that community or city, as the case may be. The 
religious forces of a given community or city will 
rot be weakened or divided up into rival sects, or de- 
nominations, making war on each other. A little 
town of three hundred inhabitants will not be 
"churched" to death by six or seven denominational 
churches, where there is not more than enough room 



94 The Plea to Restore 

for one local church of Christ, which can fully meet 
all the religious wants of the community. What a 
blessing the restoration of the Apostolic Church 
would be in every village, town and city throughout 
all the land ! 

2d. All the professed followers of the Christ will 
be just common disciples of the Lord, or Christians 
only, just what they were in the days of the apostles. 
They will be just common Christians, without any 
denominational or sectarian distinctions, as Baptists, 
Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians or Catho- 
lics. There will be no denominational or sectarian 
label put on any of the Lord's sheep of the one com- 
mon fold. Neither will there be any one engaged in 
building up denominational fences to separate the 
sheep of the Lord into little sectarian folds, but all 
the sheep will herd together, and be led by the great 
Shepherd of the sheep into all green pastures, where 
they can eat together, and no one dare molest them 
or make them afraid. No sectarian preacher will 
stand over the Lord's Supper and say this Christian 
shall partake or that Christian shall not partake; 
but all Christians will sit down together, and, in holy 
communion with the blessed Christ, partake of the 
emblems of the broken body and shed blood of their 
dear Lord, in sweet and loving remembrance of him. 



the Apostolic Church. 95 

3d. All Christians will belong to the church of 
Christ only, or the body of Christ only, and not at 
the same time belong to something else in the way of 
a modern denominational or sectarian church. One 
of the great sins of modern denominationalism is, 
that it has a person to be something else other than 
simply being a Christian, and belonging, religiously, 
to something else other than the church of Christ; 
and this belonging to something else other than the 
church of Christ is to belong to some denomination 
or sect. The church of Christ, or body of Christ, is 
just big enough to contain all Christians, and there 
is no need whatever for Christians to belong to any- 
thing else ; and if the Lord had intended for them to 
belong to anything else other than his church, he 
would have said so in his holy Word. Therefore, all 
denominational churches are wholly unnecessary, and 
are contrary to the will of the one great Head of the 
church. In. fact, they are sinful before the Lord and 
are a subversion of divine law. 

4th. All Christians will believe the one divine 
creed, have the one and same confession of faith, and 
be governed by the one and same divine rule of faith 
and practice. The one divine creed, the summary of 
"the faith which was once for all delivered unto the 
saints," which is the simple and yet all-comprehen- 



96 The Plea to Restore 

sive proposition, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, 
will be accepted by all, and all human creeds will be 
rejected. There will be no General Assemblies or 
great Conventions to spend days and months in heat- 
ed discussion on "creed revision." All Christians 
will have the one simple divine confession of faith, 
which is an oral confession of personal faith, the 
faith of the whole heart in the divine person, Jesus 
the Christ, the Son of Cod. All Christians will have 
and accept only the Word of God as their one rule 
of all faith and practice, and at the same time re- 
jecting all human rules or books of church disci- 
pline, as guides to direct them in faith, worship and 
practice. 

5th. Among all Christians there will be just 
the "one body," "the body of Christ," the one church 
of Christ of which he alone is head, the supreme 
lawgiver and ruler. There will be to all the "one 
hope," the hope of immortality, the hope of eternal 
life, to cheer, comfort the heart and stimulate to all 
Christian activity. There will be the "one Spirit," 
the Holy Spirit, to dwell in the hearts of all Chris- 
tians, to sanctify, to "help our infirmity/' to 
strengthen "with power in the inward man," to con- 
vict and convert sinners to the Christ through the 
truth. There will be no controversies about the in- 



the Apostolic Church. 97 

dwelling of the Holy Spirit, or the operation of the 
Spirit in sanctification and conversion. There will 
be the "one Lord."' not lord the pope, lord the 
bishop, lord the priest, lord the preacher, 
but the one Lord Jesus Christ, who is to 
be over all and in all. There will be the 
"one faith," the faith in the "one Lord," and no 
more disputes or confusions about "kinds" of faith. 
There will be the "one baptism."' the baptism "'in 
water" of penitent believers, "into the name of the 
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." 
There will be no more debates about "the mode" of 
baptism. There will be indeed the "'one God and 
Father of all. who is over all. and through all, and 
in all." The primitive unity of the Apostolic 
Church will be reproduced everywhere among all 
Christians, and all Christians will give "diligence to 
keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." 
6th. All the followers of the Christ will recog- 
nize and wear only the Xew Testament names of the 
children of God; they will be designated and known 
simply as "disciples." "brethren." "believers," 
"saints." "Christians." There will be no denomina- 
tional or sectarian names to create and foster de- 
nominational divisions in the one body of Christ. 
The sect spirit will no longer be heard to say : I am 



98 The Plea to Restore 

of Paul, I am of Apollos, I am of Cephas, I am of 
Christ (in a sectarian sense), or I am of Luther, 
Calvin, Wesley, Campbell, or any other human lead- 
er. Take away from the religious world of to-day all 
denominational or sectarian names, and. the great 
mass of professed Christians would soon come to- 
gether in a common faith and fellowship. Simply 
party names, or denominational names, have much to 
do in keeping up party or denominational distinc- 
tions. It is an absolute fact that the present divided 
religious world will never unite, or come into a com- 
mon fellowship, while it keeps up its denominational 
names and party distinctions. The denominational 
divisions of professed Christians can never unite and 
all be Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, 
Lutherans, Baptists or Catholics ; but all of them can 
unite and be one as Christians only, while they will 
ever remain separate in keeping up denominational 
names and distinctions. 

7th. There will be union and co-operation of all 
the religious forces in missionary efforts, in educa- 
tional work, in work of benevolence, in work of 
civic and all righteous reforms. What a power would 
be put forth in Home and Foreign Missions if all 
missionary forces were united and working harmo- 
niously ! Tf all missionary forces and means were 



the Apostolic Church. 99 

put together and united into one solid phalanx, how 
long would it take to evangelize the heathen world to 
the Christ ? Vast amount of time and means could 
be saved to-day in foreign mission fields and home 
mission work, if all the missionary forces were unit- 
ed and working hand and heart together for Christ 
and humanity. Many of the little starving missions 
would soon become great centers of evangelization, if 
all the missionaries and the money were put together 
in preaching the gospel of the Christ. Denomina- 
tional divisions among professed Christians are do- 
ing much to keep back the evangelization of the 
world to the Christ. "What vast amount of time. 
money and expense could be saved in educational 
work if all religious forces and agencies were in har- 
monious co-operation! How many of the poor, the 
orphans, the widows, the unfortunate, would be neg- 
lected, if all the religious forces were united in work 
of benevolence? What untold good could be accom- 
plished in all civic and righteous reforms of corrupt 
society, if all the religious forces were standing to- 
gether in a solid front against all social evils ! 

8th. There will be the accomplishment of the 
great mission of the church of Christ. The great 
mission of the Christ to the world was to save it. 
John says : "For God sent not the Son into the 

LofC. 



100 The Plea to Restore 

world to judge the world; but that the world should 
be saved through him" (John 3:17). The church 
of Christ is to do in a very important sense just 
what the Christ did when he came into the world. 
The Christ's great mission was to save a lost and 
ruined world. Therefore, the mission of the church 
of Christ is also to save the lost world. The church 
is the great moral and spiritual force in the world 
which is to lift it up and save it. The church is to 
do this in preaching the gospel of salvation to all the 
nations of the earth, and in bringing all the world 
to the one and only Saviour to be saved. The king- 
doms of this world are to become the kingdoms of 
God and his Christ. The mission of the church is to 
bring about this glorious consummation. The church, 
in its present divided condition into sects and de- 
nominations, can never do this great work, or carry 
out its mission to the world. The only way by 
which the mission of the church to the world can be 
accomplished is the complete restoration of the Apos- 
tolic Church in all things. 

9th. The earnest prayer which the Christ prayed 
for the oneness of all his disciples will be answered. 
Surely the Christ did not pray a prayer, and espe- 
cially this one, which is never to be answerer] . In- 
deed, this great intercessory prayer of the Christ for 



the Apostolic Church. 101 

the oneness of all his disciples will most certainly 
be answered. It can not be otherwise, though it may 
not come just in the way. or be just what, many are 
looking for. Still, this prayer of the Christ must 
and will be answered. Before departure or apostacy 
came in the way of denominations and sects, all the 
followers of the Christ were one; and they can be- 
come one again by returning, in all things, to that 
original oneness. This can be done only by the com- 
plete restoration of the one original Apostolic 
Church, in faith, doctrine, practice and life. In the 
answer of the prayer of the Christ for the oneness 
of all his children, there will be Christian union, 
fellowship and love among all professed Christians 
everywhere. There will be no denominational strife 
or conflicting creeds to mar the peace and harmony 
of the children of God. The world will then believe 
that the Father sent the Son to save it. The oneness 
of the disciples of Jesus is absolutely essential to 
the conversion of the world to the Christ. Then will 
begin the true golden age in which peace on earth 
and good will toward men will universally prevail. 

The foregoing are some of the great results to 
be accomplished by The Plea to Eestore the Apos- 
tolic Church. These results arc sufficient to make 
the earnest advocacy of the Plea an all-important 



102 The Plea to Restore 

matter. In view of the many departures from "the 
faith," resulting in the present divided condition of 
the religious world, these results ought to be suffi- 
cient to enlist every true follower of Jesus in an 
earnest advocacy of The Plea to Eestore the Apos- 
tolic Church. These results are sufficient to inspire 
a holy zeal and great courage in all those who are 
now making the Plea. 



CHAPTEE X. 

THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE PLEA. 

In the practical application of The Plea to Ee- 
store the Apostolic Church, there are some governing 
rules or principles to be observed. These all-import- 
ant rules or principles are these : 

1. The all and alone sufficiency of the Word of 
God, especially the New Testament, as the complete 
and sole Guide in all religious faith and practice. 

2. In all matters of faith and doctrine, "Where 
the Scriptures speak, we speak ; where the Scriptures 
are silent, we are silent." 

3. In all things of faith and doc-trine, not in 
matters of opinion or methods of work or questions 
of expediency, there must be an express command of 
the Scriptures or an approved example or a necessary 
inference. 

4. Nothing must be made a test of Christian 
fellowship, communion and co-operation but faith 
in Christ and obedience to him. 

With the preceding governing rules or principles 
as a guide, a practical application of The Plea to Ee- 
store the Apostolic Church can now he made. This 
will be done in the following supposed example : 

103 



104 The Plea to Restore 

In the town of Tarpley there are five distinct de- 
nominational churches, known as the Baptist Church, 
the Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church, the 
Congregational Church, the Lutheran Church. 
These churches, for some time, have been fraterniz- 
ing and co-operating in temperance work and civic 
reform of the town. In a conference of the minis- 
ters and leading brethren of these five churches it is 
unanimously agreed that a union meeting or revival 
shall be held, in which all the churches shall join in 
hand and heart. After much deliberation and 
prayer, it is further agreed that nothing distinctive 
3f any particular denominational body or church 
shall be preached; that all the preaching shall be 
simply the preaching of the simple gospel of the 
Christ, or the preaching of just what the apostles 
preached when they turned people to the Christ. It 
is still further agreed that all persons who desire to 
become Christians, and manifest that desire by com- 
ing forward, shall be plainly instructed, just as the 
apostles instructed such persons, to believe with the 
whole heart in the Christ, sincerely repent of all sin, 
confess with the mouth the faith in the Christ, and 
obey him in baptism, baptism "in water," which bap- 
tism all the five churches accept as the baptism com- 
manded by flic Christ. 



the Apostolic Church. 105 

The union revival now begins with great inter- 
est, and a good feeling pervades all. Love and har- 
mony are in the hearts of all the ministers and the 
brethren engaged in the union revival; and for the 
time being all denominationalism is forgotten, or held 
in abeyance. Night after night the good work goes 
on with the intense desire on the part of all to bring 
sinners to the Christ. The people are plainly taught 
to believe in the Christ with the whole heart, repent 
of their sins, confess the Christ and obey the Lord 
in baptism. The people thus interested respond by 
the scores; happily converted to the Christ, they re- 
joice in the promises of the gospel. The great union 
revival now draws to a close. One hundred persons 
converted to the Christ are the immediate results. 
All of these converts have truly believed in the 
Christ, have sincerely repented, have confessed the 
Christ, and have obeyed him in being baptized. 

Now, then, what are these new converts, religious- 
ly, at the close of the union revival ? Are they Bap- 
tists or Methodists or Presbyterians? No, not yet. 
To become Baptists, Methodists or Presbyterians, 
they will have to join the Baptist, Methodist or Pres- 
byterian Church. Well, are they Congregationalists 
or Lutherans ? Not at all, though they may become 
such by joining these respective denominations. But 



106 The Plea to Restore 

as yet no denominational label can be put upon them, 
for the simple reason that they do not, as yet, be- 
long to any denomination. Well, in reality, what are 
these one hundred converts at the close of the union 
revival? "Why, they are just Christians, and Chris- 
tians only. They have been taught to do just what 
the apostles taught people to do to become Christians, 
and they have willingly done all these things; then, 
of course, they are simply Christians. Who will dare 
say they are not Christians? Then, to what church 
do these converts, Christians only, now belong? Why, 
to the church of Christ only, which is composed of all 
true Christians. They really entered the church of 
Christ by becoming Christians; for whatever makes 
a person a Christian puts that person into the church 
of Christ. All are agreed that a person must "be born 
again" to become a Christian; and Jesus teaches us 
that a person must "be born again/' "born of water 
and the Spirit." to enter into "the kingdom of God," 
the church of Christ (John 3:5). Therefore, what- 
ever makes a person a Christian necessarily puts that 
person into the kingdom of God, the church of 
Christ. Then, it will be accepted by all, that, at 
the close of the union revival, the one hundred con- 
verts are Christians only and belong to the church of 
Christ only. Xow, this is just all that God would 



the Apostolic Church. 107 

have these new converts he and belong to. Does the 
Father in heaven require, in his Word, of any person 
to be more or less than to he a Christian, or to belong 
to anything more than to belong to the church of 
Christ? 

Xow, then, at the close of the union meeting, the 
one hundred converts conclude that, as they are 
Christians only, and alread}^ belong to the church 
of Christ only — just all God would have them be 
and belong to — they will not divide up and go into 
the different denominational churches in the town of 
Tarpley. They immediately assemble on the Lord's 
Day at some convenient place, for worship, praise, 
prayer, reading the Scriptures and exhortation. They 
partake of the emblems of the broken body and shed 
blood of the Lord in loving remembrance of him, 
having this right and exalted privilege by virtue 
of the fact that they are Christians, and thus they 
are all common priests unto God. They continue 
these Lord's Day meetings, taking the Word of the 
Lord as their sole rule of faith and practice, making 
faith in Christ, and obedience to him in all things, 
the only tests of Christian fellowship, communion 
and co-operation. In all matters of faith and doc- 
trine, where the Word of God speaks, they speak, 
and where the Word of God is silent, they are silent ; 



108 The Plea to Restore 

or, in all matters of faith and teaching, they will 
have a "Thus saith the Lord" in an express com- 
mand or an approved example or necessary inference. 
Then, as they continue the Lord's Day services, and 
thus grow in the divine life, they set apart certain 
ones of their numher, who are apt to teach; to be 
leaders in the worship and work, such as elders or 
pastors or bishops, deacons and evangelists. Here, 
then, is a local community of Christians with its 
elders or pastors or bishops, deacons and evangelists, 
quietly meeting on the first day of every week, keep- 
ing house for the Lord and walking in all his ap^ 
pointments. Now, then, what are they? Are they 
a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregation- 
alist or Lutheran Church? No, indeed; for they 
have refused to go into any of these denominational 
churches. Then, are they a denomination? Not a 
bit of it. They are just a local congregation, or lo- 
cal church of Christ, because they are Christians only, 
and belong to the church of Christ only. 

The work of these one hundred new converts, or 
local church of Christ, begins to grow and spread 
abroad. These brethren, or Christians only, send 
some of their members, leaders in the work, and be- 
gin a similar work at Francisville by establishing a 
local church of Christ in that city. These two 



the Apostolic Church. 109 

churches of Christ now co-operate and begin the good 
work at Coratown, establishing a church of Christ 
in that community. On the good work of Xew Tes- 
tament evangelism goes from town to town, from 
community to community, till more than twenty 
churches of Christ are established. All these church- 
es of Christ heartily co-operate in sounding out the 
Word of the Lord in all the surrounding country. 
These Christians only go everywhere preaching the 
AYord, building up simple churches of Christ ; and, at 
the same time, inducing many of the "denomina- 
tional Christians" to give up all denominationalism 
and become Christians only and belong to the church 
of Christ only. 

In all these churches of Christ, beginning with 
the one hundred converts of the union revival, there 
is the one divine creed, the one divine confession of 
faith and the one divine rule of faith and practice. 
In all matters of faith and doctrine, where the Scrip- 
tures speak, they speak, and where the Scriptures 
are silent, they are silent. These churches of Christ 
make faith in Christ and obedience to him the only 
tests of Christian fellowship and co-operation. The 
individual members of these churches are "disciples 
of Christ." "believers," "brethren," "saints," "Chris- 
tians," and in church relation they are simply "church- 



110 • The Plea to Restore 

es of Christ/' In organization and government they 
have none but what is found in the organization and 
congregational government of the local congregation, 
or local church of Christ. In the work of evangeli- 
zation, these churches of Christ preach the simple 
gospel of the Christ, or preach just what the apostles 
preached, and have people to do just what the apos- 
tles have people to do to be saved, to become Chris- 
tians, to enter the church of Christ. They earnestly 
plead for the unity of all the professed followers 
of the Christ, because the primitive disciples of the 
Christ were one in Christ; and because "there is one 
body/' "one Spirit/' "one hope," "one Lord/' "one 
faith," "one baptism," "one God and Father of all ;" 
and because the dear Lord and Saviour earnestly 
pra}red for the oneness of all his disciples just be- 
fore he suffered on the cross. 

In all this good work, as far as it goes, of the one 
hundred converts of the union revival, there is a res- 
toration of primitive Christianity, and thus a prac- 
tical application of The Plea to Eestore the Apostolic 
Church. In this supposed example there is a com- 
plete illustration of the work of the fathers who in- 
augurated the Eestoration Movement of the nine- 
teenth century. Their children, who have grown to 
a great people of more than a million in numbers 



the Apostolic Church. Ill 

in these United States, are, to-day. carrying for- 
ward the work of the fathers in making The Plea to 
Kestore the Apostolic Church. This people, the 
children of the fathers, claim to he, as individuals, 
simply disciples of the Christ, or Christians only; 
and in their organized capacity, they claim to he 
churches of Christ only. In church organization 
and government they claim none other than that 
which the inspired apostles established in the organ- 
ization and government of the local church of Christ. 
"While they have missionary conventions and socie- 
ties, wholly as co-operations of the churches, in do- 
ing mission work, they have no other "ecclesiastical" 
organization and government than that of the local 
church of Christ. 



CHAPTER XL 

THE DANGERS CONFRONTING THE PLEA. 

There are dangers confronting the Plea, or con- 
fronting those who make The Plea to Eestore the 
Apostolic Church, which demand thoughtful atten- 
tion. All movements in the way of any reform, and 
especially religions movements, are confronted, more 
or less, with dangers. If these dangers are not avoid- 
ed, or met successfully, failure will be the result in 
the end. It is the part of wisdom to see ahead and 
know these dangers, and thus he fully prepared to 
successfully meet them. The dangers confronting 
those who make The Plea to Restore the Apostolic 
Church are here pointed out for most serious con- 
sideration. 

1st. The Danger of Apostacy. — Ever since sin 
began in the world there has been a tendency on the 
part of erring man to apostacy, or to depart from 
the law of God. The apostacy of the human family 
was so great at one time as to cause God to destroy 
the world with a mighty flood, to the exception of 
the eight souls saved in Noah's ark. It was not 
very long after the flood till the human family be- 
gan again to apostatize or depart from God. It ap- 



114 The Plea to Restore 

pears that it was only the call of Abraham, and God's 
covenant relation with him, that saved the patriarchal 
world from universal idolatry. Even the posterity of 
Abraham, God's own chosen people who were in spe- 
cial covenant relation with him, were constantly go- 
ing astray or departing from the law of Jehovah. 
The history of the Jews, God's covenanted people, 
after they reached the land of promise, is almost a 
history of repeated apostasies and reformations or 
restorations. The old prophets were continually call- 
ing the people to repentance and to a return to "the 
old paths" from whence they had departed. Early 
in the history of the primitive chnrches of Christ is 
to be found apostasy or departure, in many things, 
from "the faith which was once for all delivered 
unto the saints." In fact, church history is largely 
a history of successive apostasies and reformations 
among the professed followers of the Christ. 

In all these apostasies or departures from God, 
there are many lessons of warning to the people who 
are now laboring to restore apostolic Christianity, or 
to reproduce in all things the faith and doctrine of 
the inspired apostles, as given in the New Testament. 
The apostasy in the early churches of Christ began 
by degrees, and, perhaps, in what might be called 
little things; here a small deviation and there a slight 



the Apostolic Church. 115 

deflection from the ancient faith and order, culmi- 
nating in a complete departure, in many things, from 
apostolic faith and practice. Apostasy is always 
slight and not very perceptible in the beginning, but 
by gradual growth it soon becomes great, and, if not 
checked, total. Here, then, let those who make The 
Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church take due warn- 
ing in reference to the danger of apostasy, ever re- 
membering that absolute safety lies only in unflinch- 
ing loyalty to the Word of God in all things. Is not 
the disposition of preachers to wear ecclesiastical 
titles, such as "Kev." and "D. D.," and missionary 
conventions reaching out after the management and 
discipline of the churches, a tendency to an ecclesias- 
ticism which means, in the end, a departure ? A lit- 
tle warning at this point is needed. 

2d. The Danger of Narrowness. — Narrow, 
contracted ideas and notions in reference to any great 
work or reform, persisted in by those engaged in the 
work, always bring defeat and failure in the end. 
There must be an adequate and full conception of 
things, a large and just vision of principles in any 
great undertaking or work. Little men, men of nar- 
row ideas, can never push any important movement 
to permanent success. Narrow ideas and narrow 
views of things have put many a deserved plea or 



116 The Plea to Restore 

work into the ruts, never to be lifted out till advo- 
cates of enlarged ideas and views have taken hold. 
One of the difficulties the Christ had to contend with 
during his personal ministry was the narrow ideas 
and conceptions of his own disciples in reference to 
the nature of "the kingdom of heaven." Even after 
his resurrection, just before his ascension, his disci- 
ples appeared to still have the narrow idea or notion 
that the kingdom of Christ was simply the temporal 
kingdom of Israel - restored (Acts 1:6). 

To-day, among some who are advocating The 
Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church, there are nar- 
row ideas and inadequate conceptions of that divine 
institution called "the church." It is hard, it appears, 
for some good brethren to learn that the expression, 
"the church of God/' or "the church of Christ," in 
its New Testament sense, never can mean less than 
all Christians in a given locality, or all Christians 
everywhere upon the face of the earth. To use the 
expression, "the church of Christ," to designate only 
a part of the Christians in a particular locality, or to 
designate only a part, or a small number, of the 
Christians on the earth, is to have narrow ideas and 
narrow conceptions of that institution called the 
church in the New Testament. Furthermore, to use 
the expression, "the church of Christ," in this narrow 



the Apostolic Church. 117 

sense, is the doctrine of sectism full grown! Even 
some of these good brethren of narrow ideas will af- 
firm, in debate with some denominational preacher, 
this proposition: "The church [meaning simply his 
own people] with which I stand identified is the 
church of Christ." At the same time the affirmant 
of this proposition will plead for the union of Chris- 
tians, when there can be no Christians outside of the 
New Testament "church of Christ" ! Therefore, in 
the very nature of things, since a part can not be the 
whole nor the whole contracted into the part, no 
religious bod} 7 , or body of Christians, can be "the 
church of Christ," unless it includes all Christians 
in one place or all Christians in every place. To con- 
ceive of "the church of Christ" otherwise is to have 
narrow ideas of that divine institution. 

Again, to designate the people who are making 
The Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church as "the 
Christian Church," using the expression as the equiv- 
alent of the expression, "the church of Christ," is a 
narrow and sectarian idea of that institution which 
Jesus calls "my church." It should ever be borne in 
mind, that those who are pleading for the restora- 
tion of primitive apostolic Christianity are, as in- 
dividuals, Christians only, and, as local congrega- 
tions, churches of Christ only ; and that in the aggre- 



118 The Plea to Restore 

gate they are not "the church," nor even a church. 
Those who plead for the restoration of New Testa- 
ment Christianity are advocating the unity, or union, 
of all Christians ; hence they are not the only Chris- 
tians, but Christians only, while many other professed 
Christians are something else beside being Chris- 
tians; and that something else consists in belonging 
to some modern denomination or sect. Narrowness, 
especially in reference to what the church is and its 
nature, is one of the dangers confronting those 
who make The Plea to Eestore the Apostolic 
Church. 

3d. The Danger of Broad-gaugism. — By 
broad-gaugism is here meant that particular species 
of latitudinarianism which is, so to speak, more lib- 
eral and more broad than the whole gospel of the 
Christ. It is a tendency to "soften down" some of 
the plain commandments and threatenings of the 
"Old Jerusalem gospel." It often stands for a kind 
of "goody-goodyism" which does not mean anything 
particular nor believe anything particular, but at the 
same time it can pin its faith to the coat-tail of most 
'any kind of a teacher and accept, in a measure, the 
dogmas of any modern denominational church. It 
has a way of gushing over everybody and everything 
in s^Rsms of broad liberality ! 



the Apostolic Church. 119 

Often this broad-gaugism is seen on the part of 
broad and liberal preachers who try to have people 
saved or squeezed into heaven on less terms, or con- 
ditions, than those given in the gospel of the Christ. 
Such passages as "He that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be con- 
demned/' and "Except a man be born of water and 
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom," are of- 
ten interpreted to mean far less, or require less, than 
the Lord commands in these plain declarations. 
This broad-gaugism has gone so far in its "softening- 
down" process as to translate out of the Xew Testa- 
ment the word ''hell" by substituting the words, "the 
pit," as is seen in what is called "The Twentieth 
Century New Testament." In another century, per- 
haps, these "broad-gaugers" will take "the pit" out, 
and teach that everybody, sinners and all. will go to 
heaven, as there is no old-fashioned "hell" ! 

The tendency to liberalize divine teaching and 
preach "smooth things" to the people, is a hurtful 
tendency which can only mean mischief in the end. 
It means the breaking down of the plain teaching and 
authority of the Christ in reference to salvation and 
its conditions, and substituting human teaching and 
human wisdom. Sometimes the cry of this broad- 
gaugism is heard in these mellow words : "We must 



120 The Plea to Restore 

be broad and liberal toward all." This cry is all 
right provided this broadness and liberality are not 
broader and more liberal than the whole gospel of 
the Christ. The dear Lord does not require any one 
to be. broader and more liberal than the New Testa- 
ment in which is found the limit of all liberality to- 
ward all men. When broad-gauge teaching gets the 
idea into the mind "that one church is as good as an- 
other/' and that "it does not make much difference 
what one believes so that he is honest and good at 
heart," then danger comes to those who make The 
Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church. 

One of the great dangers of this broad, liberal- 
izing tendency is to destroy all faith in the miracu- 
lous and in the superhuman Christ. This is fully il- 
lustrated in the broad-gaugism of the Unitarians and 
in the school of "advanced thought" now infesting 
many of the denominational churches. Some bright 
young preachers have already made shipwreck of 
their faith and gone into outright infidelity by try- 
ing to get too broad and too liberal in their faith. 
Certainly, this should be a warning in reference to 
broad-gaugism, which is one of the dangers confront- 
ing those who are making The Plea to Restore the 
Apostolic CI lurch. 



the Apostolic Church. 121 

4th. The Danger of Compromise. — When the 
mighty reformer and Old Testament prophet, Nehe- 
miah, after the long apostasy and captivity of the 
Jews, began to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and re- 
store the ancient faith and worship of the people 
of God, he met with bitter opposition from an alien 
people who had gathered into the land of the Jews. 
Nehemiah and his faithful workmen wrought night 
and day; "every one with one of his hands wrought 
in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon." 
Thus the walls of the city and the temple of God 
were rebuilded in the midst of great opposition. 
When the alien people failed in their opposition they 
then began to ridicule 'and make fun, and say of the 
work of Nehemiah and his faithful laborers : "Even 
that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even 
break down their stone wall" (N"eh. 4:3). After 
the opposition failed in its ridicule and fun, it then 
proposed a compromise by sending a message to Ne- 
hemiah to meet in "one of the villages of the plain 
of Ono," saying, "Come now, therefore, and let us 
take counsel together." Nehemiah said: "But they 
thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers 
unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that 
1 cannot come down: why should the work cease 
whilst I leave it, and come down to von?" (Neli. 



122 The Plea to Restore 

6:2, 3). Nehemiah refused to leave his great work 
and parley with his opposers in the way of making a 
compromise, and thus he made his work a great suc- 
cess. Compromise often means simply a surrender 
to the opposition. To that people who are to-day, as 
it were, engaged in the great work of rebuilding the 
spiritual Jerusalem and restoring the primitive faith, 
worship and practice of the apostles, here is a lesson 
in reference to the danger of compromise. 

In the beginning, when that people who labored 
to restore apostolic Christianity were a feeble flock, 
the opposition often met them with ridicule and cari- 
cature; but now, since that people have grown great 
in numbers, the same old opposition has begun to 
flatter them and make love to them in saying, they 
are "orthodox" and "evangelical," and a great many 
other nice things. It is to be feared that it is the 
same old game, like the opposers of Nehemiah's work, 
to get up some sort of a compromise. Denomination- 
alism has now already begun to seek a compromise 
with those who are Christians only, and belong 
to the church of Christ only. Denominationalism 
has gone so far in the way of getting up a com- 
promise as to even induce some who claim to be com- 
mitted to The Plea to Restore the Apostolic Church, 
to concede that thev also are a denomination. In 



the Apostolic Church. 123 

some quarters they boldly affirm, "We are a denomi- 
nation, just like other denominations." Hence they 
23 rate about "our denomination/' "our church/' even 
"our baptisms/' and so on. Coquetting with denomi- 
nationalism will lead to a compromise and finally to a 
virtual surrender of The Plea to Eestore the Apos- 
tolic Church. Perhaps the greatest danger now con- 
fronting those who are making this Plea in the midst 
of unparalleled success, is the danger of compromise 
with denominationalism. 

5th. The Daxger of Making False Tests oe 
Fellowship. — Fellowship means a common com- 
munion, or a participation in common. Where there 
is a participation in common, there is communion or 
fellowship. All true Christians have a participation 
in common in the gracious sanation which is in 
Christ, on the very same terms or conditions. All 
those in Christ are in fellowship with the Christ, and 
must be in fellowship with one another. Then it nec- 
essarily follows that whatever are the terms of salva- 
tion, or the conditions of entering into Christ, must 
be the terms of all Christian fellowship, and the only 
terms, or tests, of Christian fellowship. In other 
words, nothing should be made a test of fellowship 
that is not a term, or condition, of salvation. Faith 
in Christ and obedience to him are the gospel terms 



124 The Plea to Restore 

of salvation, or the conditions of entering into Christ. 
Therefore, faith in the Christ and obedience to him 
?re the sole terms, or tests, of Christian fellowship. 
Certainly the very terms by which one has fellowship 
with the Christ, which are faith in the Christ and 
obedience to him, are also the very same terms by 
which all in Christ have fellowship one with another. 
The Scriptures nowhere teach that matters of 
mere opinion, methods of work, questions of expedi- 
ency or forms of worship are to be made tests of 
Christian fellowship. All such are false tests of fel- 
lowship which have produced many of the sects and- 
much of the sectarianism that are to-day among pro- 
fessed Christians. Paul says : "But him that is weak 
in faith receive ye, yet not to doubtful disputations" 
(Rom. 14:1). The words "doubtful disputations'' 
evidently refer to opinions, or mere matters of opin- 
ion, which are not to be tests of fellowship, or of re- 
ceiving even "him that is weak in faith." In viola- 
tion of Paul's teaching, sometimes the use of an in- 
strument in the song service, and missionary societies 
— mere methods of work — are made tests of Christian 
fellowship and co-operation, to that extent that even 
some leave the church and disfellowship their breth- 
ren. While it may be granted, for argument's sake, 
that these things are wrong, or inexpedient, they can 



the Apostolic Church. 125 

never be Scripture tests of Christian fellowship, com- 
munion and co-operation; to make them such is to 
produce strife and division in the churches of God. 
Right in these false tests of Christian fellowship 
lies one great danger confronting those who make 
The Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church. 

6th. The Danger of Too Much Theory and 
Not Enough Practice. — Often, in any kind of 
movement or work, there is much theorizing and phi- 
losophizing and not so much practice. It is an easy 
matter to theorize in reference to most an}- thing, but 
more difficult to put into practice. This is an age of 
much theorizing in reference to many things, and it 
is also true in reference to Christianity and its 
teaching. When theory and practice go hand in hand 
together, there is usually success; but too much the- 
ory and not enough practice, means failure in any 
undertaking or work. 

Those who make The Plea to Restore the Apos- 
tolic Church are certainly right in theory; there can 
be no question about this in the mind of any who 
understand the Plea. But what about the practice? 
This is a most vital point, worthy of the most serious 
consideration and prayerful attention. The Plea, 
simply in theory and not put into practice, will never 
accomplish its great aim or purpose, but will go in 



1.26 The Plea to Restore 

the way of all human failures ; but the Plea put into 
faithful practice will surely take the world foT 
Christ. But one of the dangers confronting the peo- 
ple who are making The Plea to Eestore the Apos- 
tolic Church, is the danger of too much theory and 
not enough faithful practice. While the people who 
are making this Plea are a grand people, and have 
grown to be a great and mighty people, who have 
largely put into practice the Plea, the results of 
which will be felt in all eternity, still there is a great- 
er and grander work to be accomplished by a faithful 
practice of the Plea in all its phases. 

Of all people, those who make The Plea to Ee- 
store the Apostolic Church ought to be the most prac- 
tical, zealous, earnest and pious people. They ought 
to do more for charity, for education, for the procla- 
mation of the gospel in all the world, and for the bet- 
terment of the human family, than any other people 
on the earth. They ought to practice more giving, 
more love, more real Christian unity and more real 
piety and godliness than any other people. Above 
all, they ought to be the most Christlike, and be fore- 
most in every move for the union of all Christians. 
They should be and do all this because the great Plea 
which they advocate demands all this, no more nor 
less. The Plea itself demands that the theorv shall 



the Apostolic Church. 127 

be put into practice. When a comparison is made 
with all that the denominational churches are doing, 
this becomes- a burning question : "What do ye more 
than others?" When the love, zeal, piety and sacri- 
fice, often found in many of those of the denomina- 
tions, are considered, can it be said of those who make 
the Plea, that they do more than others, or even as 
much? Surely here is the place for serious reflec- 
tion and more thorough consecration to the Plea, to 
the dear Lord and all his work. 

When all the advocates of The Plea to Bestore 
the Apostolic Church put into practice the Plea, then 
there will be no trouble in raising money to build 
churches and preach the gospel in all lands. There 
will be no trouble in raising the necessary means to 
build up necessary schools and endow colleges. Above 
all, the Plea put into practice will give it complete 
success in spite of all the dangers that may confront 
its advocates. Steadfastness to the Plea, in all 
things, will bring glorious success to pure apostolic 
Christianity, and successfully meet every danger con- 
fronting it. 



CHAPTEE XII. 

OBJECTIONS TO THE TEACHING OF THOSE WHO 
MAKE THE PLEA. 

Those who make The Plea to Kestore the Apos- 
tolic Church have been met all the while with some 
objections which need to be noticed. These objec- 
tions have been made to what is supposed, on some 
vital points, not to be the teaching of those who make 
the Plea, and, also, to what the teaching is sup- 
posed to be. These objections have grown largely 
out of the lack of proper understanding of what the 
teaching really is. Then, again, these objections have 
grown out of mere prejudice and ignorance. To 
clear up these objections, it is necessary to make 
a plain and brief presentation of the teaching on all 
vital points where objections have been raised, which 
now will be done after stating each objection in nu- 
merical order. The objections which have been so 
often made and so often met and set aside, which are 
still being made by some people, are here given in 
the language of tlie objectors, as follows: 

1st. "You people do not teach the change of 
heart." This old objection is still made by some 
prejudiced and misinformed people. Those who 

129 



130 The Plea to Restore 

make The Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church, put 
great emphasis, in their teaching, upon the absolute, 
necessity of the thorough change of the heart of all 
those who turn to the Lord. There must be a deep, 
vital change of the heart on the part of every sinner 
in turning to the Christ. In the very first act in 
becoming a child of God, the sinner must believe in 
the Christ with the whole heart, which involves a 
radical change of the heart in reference to sin, a 
change of the heart from the love of sin to the love of 
the Christ. Alexander Campbell, in his debate with 
N". L. Rice, in 1843, said : "No man believes more cor- 
dially, or teaches more fully, the necessity of a spir- 
itual change of our affections — a change of heart 
— than I do" (Campbell-Rice Debate, p. 544). Mr. 
Campbell further says : "Our Reformation began 
in the conviction of the inadequacy of the corrupted 
forms of religion in popular use, to effect that thor- 
ough change of heart and life which the gospel con- 
templates as so essential to admission into heavem 
{Debate, p. 678). 

2d. "You people do not teach Scripture repent- 
ance." What the denominations usually call "Scrip- 
ture repentance" is simply sorrow for sin or soul 
agony on the account of sin. Scripture repentance 
means far more than sorrow for sin. Paul says of 



the Apostolic Church. 131 

the Corinthians : "Ye were made sorry unto repent- 
ance" (2 Cor. 7:9). Sorrow leads to repentance, 
produces or works repentance. The original word 
translated "repentance/' as commanded in the gos- 
pel, means the change of mind, or the change of the 
will, in reference to sin. In other words, gospel re- 
pentance means the change of the will produced by 
sorrow for sin leading to a reformation of life and 
all possible reparation or restitution. Therefore, gos- 
pel repentance involves a sincere sorrow for sin, a 
change of the will in reference to sin and a turning 
away from sin. Xothing short of this is the repent- 
ance commanded in the gospel. This, and this only, 
is the repentance ever taught by those who make The 
Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church. 

3d. "You people do not teach Scripture conver- 
sion/' Those who make this charge usually hold 
that conversion is simply the change of heart, or the 
change wrought in the heart by some miraculous 
rjower of the Holy Spirit. Those who plead for the 
restoration of apostolic Christianity teach that con- 
version is the whole process of turning from sin to 
the Lord ; that conversion means to "turn again ;" to 
turn back to the Lord from a life of sin in which 
the sinner went away from the Lord; that faith in 
the Christ with the whole heart, sincere repentance, 



132 The Plea to Restore 

confession of the Christ and baptism — all of them — 
are turning acts in the whole process of turning to 
the Christ or conversion to the Christ. In all this 
process of conversion, in which the sinner is active 
and not passive, there is far more than the change of 
heart. In conversion to the Christ, or in turning to 
the Christ, there is certainly the change of heart, 
and there is the change of conduct effected through 
genuine repentance, and there is the change of the 
sinner's relation to Christ out of Christ to "in 
Christ" — effected through submission to baptism. 
Therefore Scripture conversion involves a threefold 
change — a change of heart, a change of conduct, a 
change of relation — and not simply a change of 
heart. 

4th. "You people do not teach Scripture regen- 
eration." The word "regeneration" occurs only two 
times in the New Testament (Matt. 19:28; Tit. 
3:5), and in these occurrences the word is not used 
in the denominational theological sense at all. but the 
word means the moral or spiritual renovation, or the 
process of being "born again." In flu's spiritual 
renovation, or being "born again," there is a beget- 
ting, or quickening, and a birth. The sinner in 
being "born again," or in experiencing regeneration, 
is begotten, or quickened, by the Holy Spirit through 



the Apostolic Church. 133 

the Word of God — thus "born of the Spirit/' or be- 
gotten by the Spirit — and when he is baptized he is 
"born of water." This is the Scripture regeneration, 
but not the regeneration taught by the denomina- 
tions. The regeneration taught by denominational 
theology usually means the miraculous quickening 
of the sinner by some abstract and mysterious in- 
fluence of the Holy Spirit. Of course, those who 
plead for the restoration of the original gospel do not 
teach this abstract and mysterious regeneration; but 
they do teach the Scripture regeneration of being 
quickened or begotten by the Spirit through the 
gospel, and being "born of water" by being bap- 
tized. 

5th. "You people do not teach the work of the 
Holy Spirit:' By "the work of the Holy Spirit" is 
here meant the work of the Holy Spirit in conver- 
sion and sanctification. The denominations usually 
teach that the Holy Spirit, by direct impact upon the 
heart, convicts and converts sinners and sanctifies 
Christians, while those who make The Plea to Ke- 
store'the Apostolic Church, teach that the Holy 
Spirit does all this work of conviction, conversion 
and sanctiiication through the Word of God. Alex- 
ander Campbell said more than fifty years ago: "I 
would not, sir, value at the price of a single mill the 



134 The Plea to Restore 

religion of airy man, as respects the grand affair of 
eternal life, whose religion is not begun, carried en, 
and completed by the personal agency of the Holy 
Spirit. Nay, sir, I esteem it the peculiar excellence 
and glory of our religion, that it is spiritual; that 
the soul of man is quickened, enlightened, sanctified 
and consoled by the indwelling presence of the Spirit 
of the eternal God. But, while avowing these, my 
convictions, I have no more fellowship with those 
false and pernicious theories that confound the pe- 
culiar work of the Father with that of the Son, or 
with that of the Holy Spirit, or the work of any of 
these awful names with that of another; or which 
represents our illumination, conversion and sanctifi- 
cation as the work of the Spirit without the knowl- 
edge, belief and obedience of the gospel, as written 
by the holy apostles and evangelists, than I have with 
the author and finisher of the Book of Mormon" 
(Campbell-Rice Debate, p. 616). 

6th. "You people teach that faith is simply the 
assent of the mind to the truth/' Those who are 
pleading for the restoration of the original faith 
commanded in the gospel hold to no such an idea 
"that faith is simply the assent of the mind to the 
truth." Faith certainly means the assent of the 
mind to the truth, but it also means far more than 



the Apostolic Church. 135 

"simply the assent of the mind to the truth." In 
proof, thes3 words from Alexander Campbell are to 
the point: "j\ t ow, as faith in God is the first prin- 
ciple — the soul-renewing principle of religion; as it 
is the regenerating, justifying, sanctifying princi- 
ple; without it, it is impossible to be acceptable to 
God. With it, a man is a son of Abraham, a son of 
God; an heir-apparent to eternal life — an everlast- 
ing kingdom. And what is Christian faith? It is a 
belief of testimony. It is a persuasion that God is 
true ; that the gospel is divine ; that God is love ; that 
Christ's death is the sinner's life. It is trust in 
God. It is a reliance upon his truth, his faithful- 
ness, his power. It is not merely a cold assent to 
truth, to testimony; but a cordial, joyful consent to 
it, and reception of it" (Campbell-Riee Debate, p. 
618). 

7th. "You people teach baptismal salvation or 
regeneration/' Those who plead for the restoration 
of the primitive teaching of Christ and his apostles 
wholly repudiate every thought and idea contained 
in this objection. By "baptismal salvation" is meant 
that a pei son is saved by baptism only; or that a 
person can not be saved without baptism. By "bap- 
tismal regeneration" is meant that regeneration, or 
"divine grace," is imparted in the act of baptism. 



136 The Plea to Restore 

While some of the denominational creeds contain 
the idea of baptismal salvation, or baptismal regener- 
ation, tho3e who are Christians only, and belong to 
the church of Christ only, abominate such false and 
offensive teaching. All the water or baptism of 
earth avai]s nothing unless there is first faith with 
the whole heart — in which the heart is thoroughly 
changed, sincere repentance and a confession of the 
faith of Hie whole heart in the Christ; to all those 
who possess these gospel prerequisites, baptism is a 
condition of enjoying salvation, or remission of sins, 
procured by the atoning death or cleansing blood of 
the Son of God. All salvation, or remission of sins, 
is grounded in the atoning sacrifice made by the 
Christ on the cross. Therefore, the idea of baptis- 
mal salvation or regeneration is a false doctrine, 
which is wholly rejected by those who are pleading 
the restoration of the primitive practice in all things. 
The following quotations from Alexander Campbell 
will suffice on this point: 

"But our opponents have done us a great deal 
of injustice, in representing us as pleading for 'wa- 
ter regeneration! They have endeavored to preach 
us down, and sing us down, and write ns down, by 
holding ns np to public reprobation, ns advocates 
of a mere baptismal regeneration; but they have not 



the Apostolic Church. 137 

succeeded, nor can they succeed, with any who will 
either hear us or read us on these subjects. No 
man believes more cordially, or teaches more fully, 
the necessity of a spiritual change of our affections— 
a change of heart — than I do. I have said a thousand 
times, that if a person were to be immersed twice 
seven times in the Jordan for the remission of his 
sins, or for the reception of the Holy Spirit, it 
would avail nothing more than wetting the face of a 
babe, unless his heart is changed by the Word and 
Spirit of God. I have no confidence in any instru- 
mentality, ordinance, means, or observance unless the 
heart is turned to God. This is the fundamental, 
the capital point; but, with these, every other divine 
ordinance is essential for the spiritual enlargement, 
confirmation, and sanctification of the faithful" (De- 
hate, p. 54-i). On page 555 of the "Debate" Mr. 
Campbell further says: 

"1. While we regard immersion, or Christian bap- 
tism, as d wise, benevolent, and useful institution, 
we neither disparage, nor underrate, a new heart, 
repentance, or faith ; nay, we teach with great clear- 
ness and definiteness, that unpreceded by faith and 
repentance, it is of no value whatsoever. These two 
constitute a change of heart, a mental conversion; 
for all believing penitents have a new heart, and 



]38 The Plea to Restore 

are prepared for being born into the kingdom of 
God. 

"2. But in the second place, we insist upon 
the essential importance of baptism as a divine in- 
stitution, because Jesus Christ enacts no superflui- 
ties. In his religion there is not one ordinance that 
is not essential for some purpose; all-important to 
Christian life, health, or usefulness. Not one of 
them, therefore, can with safety be dispensed with. 
Who, then, think you, acts more rationally; he that 
practically maintains faith, repentance and baptism; 
or he that dispenses with any one of them, as, in his 
judgment, unnecessary or inexpedient? The strong- 
est argument for anything, and the best reason for do- 
ing anything, is, that the Lord Jesus Christ has com- 
manded it. A sound discretion, and a sound judg- 
ment, give to everything its proper place and no more. 
Neither faith, nor repentance, nor baptism, several- 
ly, nor altogether, are everything in religion. But 
each one of them is indispensable, and no one of 
them can be a substitute for another. A person is 
not to be justified nor saved by faith alone. No man 
can trifle with baptism, so long as he remembers 
that Jesus said, 'He that believeth and is baptized 
shall bo saved.' What God has joined together, let 
no man separate." 



the Apostolic Church. 139 

8th. "You people teach that you are the church, 
the Christian Church." This is altogether a mis- 
take; no such an idea, at all, is maintained by those 
who are pleading a return to the original church of 
Christ in all things. Again and again, over and 
over, it has been stated, that those who make The 
Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church, are not, as a 
people, or in the aggregate, a church nor the church. 
"The church" or "the Christian Church" — using the 
expression as equivalent to the expression "the 
church of Christ" — means, in its broad sense, all 
Christians in every place, or the whole body of Christ 
on the earth. Those who are pleading for the resto- 
ration of "the faith" in all things, claim to be, as 
individuals, simply common disciples of the Christ, 
or Christians simply; and in church relation they 
claim to be "churches of Christ" simply, no more 
nor leas. So, then, the objection is based wholly up- 
on a mistaken idea of what this people, who make 
The Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church, in reality 
do teach. Study carefully the great Eestoration 
Movement of the nineteenth century, and no such 
objection will ever be made, for there is no founda- 
tion for it whatever. 

9th. "You people claim to he the only Chris- 
tians, for you wear the name Christians in an exclu- 



140 The Plea to Restore 

swe sense/" Here are two objections, or erroneous 
charges, without any foundation in fact. There is 
quite a difference between these two propositions, "A 
is a Christian only/' and "A is the only Christian/' 
The former proposition does not deny that there are 
other Christians, but it affirms that A is a Christian 
and not something else religiously; while the latter 
proposition affirms that A is a Christian, and that no- 
body else is a Christian besides A. Hence, those 
who plead for the restoration of the New Testa- 
ment names of the professed followers of the Christ 
are Christians only, but not the only Christians. 
Neither do those who make this Plea wear the name 
"Christians" in an exclusive sense. They claim that 
all the children of God are equally entitled to this 
name; and they are earnestly insisting that all the 
children zl the one common heavenly Father shall 
wear the name "Christians" exclusive of all denomi- 
national or sectarian names. 

10th. "You people teach that immersion is the 
only mode of Christian baptism/ 3 Those who plead 
for the restoration of the Apostolic Church teach 
that when Christ commanded baptism he employed 
a word which has a definite and specific meaning, 
and had he done otherwise, no one could ever tell, or 
know, when he had obeved the command of the 



the Apostolic Church. 141 

Christ. The question in reference to baptism is not 
a question of mode, but the question is, What is the 
thing itself, or act, called baptism? If pouring or 
sprinkling or immersion is a "mode," then what is 
that thing of which pouring, sprinkling and immer- 
sion are the "modes" ? The thing itself is that defi- 
nite, specific something commanded by the Lord, 
and that specific something commanded by the Lord 
is expressed in the very word employed by Christ 
when he commanded baptism. When Christ com- 
manded baptism he had before him the Greek words 
which mean "to pour," "to sprinkle," "to purify," 
respectively, but he did not employ either one of 
these words to designate the act he commanded when 
he commanded baptism; but he did employ a Greek 
word in commanding baptism which all the Greek- 
English lexicons and the scholarship of the religious 
world say, means "to dip" or "to immerse." There- 
fore, when Christ commanded baptism he command- 
ed immersion and immersion only; the immersion of 
a proper subject in water "into the name of the 
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." 
Hence, immersion is not a "mode" of baptism, but 
it is baptism itself. All this talk about "modes" 
of baptism is sectarian jargon, born of the great 



142 The Plea to Restore 

apostasy from "the faith which was once for all 
delivered unto the saints." 

In the foregoing objections are to be found the 
leading objections made, in the past fifty years, to 
the teaching of those who make The Plea to Kestore 
the Apostolic Church. It will be readily seen that 
most of these objections are based upon a misunder- 
standing of the teaching of those who make this 
Plea, and that not one objection is valid, or but what 
can be met and set aside. All of this being true, 
then The Plea to Eestore the Apostolic Church must 
ultimately triumph, provided its advocates are loyal 
to it in all things. Should the present advocates of 
the Plea become unfaithful, God will raise up an- 
other people who will carry forward the Plea to a 
glorious success. May Heaven bless the Plea, and a 
gracious God lead its advocates into all truth, as it 
is in Jesus, is the devout wish of the writer of this 
little book. 

THE END. 



DEC 12 1902 



